Colonel Francis (Fanny) Jefferson died on the 23rd September 1985, at the age of 63. He joined the Regiment from Brasenose College Oxford and Ampleforth in March 1942, and was appointed to the key post of Signal Officer in the 2nd (Armoured) Battalion at the beginning of 1943. Equipped with Shermans the Battalion landed in Normandy at the end of June 1944 and Fanny remained Signal Officer to Rodney Moore in the Grenadier Group until the end of the Campaign. During the confused and bitter fighting by the Group at Nijmegen he succeeded by a combination of persistence and skill in establishing radio contact with Captain Neville’s Column, which was hemmed in and isolated for 48 hours short of the railway bridge. For his services in North West Europe he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star.

Colonel Fanny was very much a 2nd Battalion man, becoming Adjutant in June 1947 and Commanding Officer some years later. After attending the Staff College he served on the Staff of HQ 2nd Division in Hilden before going as Brigade Major to 1st Guards Brigade in MELF, serving in the Canal Zone during the last phase of British occupation not long before the abortive Suez expedition. As a Staff Officer Fanny was quick and efficient with an eye for accuracy on paper and practical solutions in action. He disliked long windedness and circumlocution, having received the mental training of a classical scholar. It was no surprise therefore when he was selected to teach at the Staff College. Having done a tour as Senior Major in the 1st Battalion, a period of Second in Command at the Guards Depot was followed by command of the 2nd Battalion who were despatched by air to British Guyana. During a busy nine months in a part of the world never previously (nor since) visited by Guardsmen, the Battalion effectively ensured stability in the Colony during its transition to independence. Coming from Command of a Battalion to Regimental Headquarters as Lieutenant Colonel Fanny Jefferson gave much thought and time to enhancing Regimental tradition and esprit de corps. He commissioned the Haswell Miller prints to illustrate the varied activities and uniforms of Grenadiers in the war period. He also commissioned Mr John Hutton to engrave a glass window in the Regimental Cloister of the Guards Chapel. In addition, during his tour as the Lieutenant-Colonel an up-to-date record of the history of the Regiment was compiled and he was also keen to refurbish Battalions with items of contemporary silver. His time as Lieutenant-Colonel saw his fulfilling with calm efficiency the office of Chief Marshal at the State funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, the Regiment furnishing the Bearer Party.

At the end of his many years of distinguished service Fanny’s interest in music found an outlet at Kneller Hall, where, as Commandant, he provided hospitality to a host of friends from all walks of life at the Grand Concerts given by his Student pupils.

So we salute another eminent Grenadier of our times who has been called to serve elsewhere. To his wife Maria, Stephen and Jane Ann, his son and daughter, goes our deepest sympathy. There will be many who miss from the scene his cheerful humanity and deep faith. It was most touching to attend his funeral service in the Roman Catholic Church which he had done so much to establish during his tour at Pirbright.

General Rex Whitworth