74631 Major Arthur John Du Sautoy was born on 4^th March 1918 in London to parents Francis Pierre Du Sautoy and Marion Alice Catherine Du Sautoy (née Denny).

March 1918 commissioned into the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers (RSF) in 1938 and stayed with the Battalion until September when he was posted to the Infantry Training Centre in Ayr, Scotland, as Motor Transport Officer.

In June 1940 Arthur was appointed Liaison Officer at HQ Corps before re-joining 2 RSF in March 1941 serving until March 1943. He recalls:

“My regiment, 2nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers, had been withdrawn to Kabrit on the Suez Canal. There I met Major Ian Patterson, a pre-war friend. He said he had been appointed as second-in-command of a new parachute battalion forming in Palestine. Patterson asked me to join them as the third rifle company commander. After distressing objections from my Regiment I went to the 11th Parachute Battalion and was posted on the 4th of May 1943”.

Arthur was on parachute course No. 42 at Ramat David in Palestine from 16 to 30 May 1943. After receiving his parachute qualification wings he was appointed as Officer Commanding of B Company, 11th Parachute Battalion.

On 26 March 1944, B and C Companies, under the command of Arthur took part in exercise ‘Cassandra’, a Sunday afternoon battle against the Home Guard units of Llangurig and Llanidloes. Both forces began the battle on either side of a large hill and at 14:30hrs the order to begin the exercise was given. Unfortunately this proved to be of very short duration. One company of paratroopers immediately doubled up the 700 feet hill and down the other side where they met the Home Guard who were still in the process of moving off towards the outskirts of the town to get into their defensive positions. The whole battle lasted some fifteen minutes and the Home Guard was extremely impressed.

Arthur left the Battalion in August 1944 for the Staff College, while Major Guy Blacklidge took over B Company.

Sometime in October, November or December 1944 Arthur married Viola Crisp Stocker in Chichester, Sussex.

After successfully completing Staff College he was posted to Allied Land Forces South–East Asia, subsequently joining in RSF in India and Burma in November 1945.

While he was posted to India he was still able to make the journey home, on occasions with his wife, Viola. On 15^th July 1952 John and Viola arrived in Liverpool, with their 2 year old child, headed for Craigwell Lodge, Aldwick.

Arthur retired from the Army in December 1958 and took up farming for a time in Kent before retiring to Surrey.

Arthur John Du Sautoy died on Monday 8^th of August 2005 in Richmond, Surrey.