Soldier and general secretary of the British Red Cross Society in Scotland; Born October 1, 1920; Died March 3, 2009. David Alexander Wallace Lochhead, OBE, MC, who has died at the age of 88, was born in Ayr, the only son of Mr and Mrs B H Lochhead.

Soldier and general secretary of the British Red Cross Society in Scotland; Born October 1, 1920; Died March 3, 2009.

David Alexander Wallace Lochhead, OBE, MC, who has died at the age of 88, was born in Ayr, the only son of Mr and Mrs B H Lochhead.

He was educated at Ayr Academy and then followed his father's footsteps into the London branch of the Imperial Bank of India.

With war looming, David enlisted in the 1st Battalion the London Scottish (TA) in August 1939. Commissioned into the Seaforth Highlanders in October 1940, he served initially with the 9th Battalion in Caithness until April 1943 when he joined the 7th Battalion of the regiment, which formed part of the 15th (Scottish) Division.

This division made its first entry to active service in Normandy in June 1944 where it came to be regarded as one of the best performing divisions in the north-west European campaign of 1944-45.

David landed on Sword beach at Ouistreham on the June 9, 1944. In that campaign he was twice wounded commanding a company, but on recovery it would never have occurred to him to do anything other than return to his battalion.

On the second occasion, in September 1944, his courage and leadership in fierce fighting in Best, north of Eindhoven, was recognised by the award of the Military Cross. He also had the distinction of accepting the surrender of the German naval base at Kiel.

The war over, and having been granted a regular commission, he was posted to the 2nd Battalion then based in Hamburg before it was moved to Warminster. During 1946, he attended the Nuremberg trials as a military observer.

Thereafter, his military career followed a somewhat familiar pattern, alternating between staff and regimental appointments. These included serving as company commander in operations during the Malayan emergency in 1948 followed by general staff appointment at GHQ FARELF (Far Eastern Land Forces) until 1950; service as a staff officer at the Records Office, Perth; instructor at the School of Infantry; and, for the fifth time, as a company commander in Gibraltar where the Seaforth Highlanders were then serving.

Following an appointment in the Infantry Directorate at the War Office in 1958, he served on the staff of the UK Military Mission in Washington, US, from 1959-60.

In March 1961, he was appointed second-in-command of the newly formed Queen's Own Highlanders, brought about by the amalgamation of the Seaforths and Camerons. Proceeding initially to Singapore, the battalion later took part in operations in Brunei and north Borneo from November 1962. David returned to the UK in 1963 to become training officer to the 1st Battalion the Liverpool Scottish (TA) an appointment he held until retiring from the Army in 1963.

He joined the British Red Cross Society in 1964 and was subsequently appointed general secretary (Scotland), an appointment he held until his retirement in 1985.

David possessed many of the best qualities of an infantry officer, combining leadership and loyalty with mental robustness, all of which became quickly apparent in the Second World War.

Regimentally, he had exacting standards and expected the same from his subordinates, and if he was inclined to be inflexible, at least you knew what was required of you, without question. But if that sounds harsh there was another side to him. He could always be remembered as approachable and welcoming in an officers' mess, and he would be the first to liven up a social occasion with his relaxed style, his humour and fund of stories.

On the sports field, he played in his earlier years cricket, rugby and hockey, but the one game which he adored and at which he excelled was golf. Perhaps this was no surprise, having been brought up in the part of Scotland which is reputed for its golf courses, and where he and his wife and family came to live from 1964. He may not have ever been a scratch player but certainly he was very near to it. He was captain of Prestwick Golf Club in 1982.

But no obituary would be complete without mention of Cecilia, the younger daughter of Sir George and Lady Gaggero, whom he met in Gibraltar and whom he married in 1957. She always gave him unfailing support. She and her three sons of the marriage survive him.

David was awarded the MC in 1944; The Red Cross Medal in 1983; and the OBE (Civil) in 1985. He was a member of the Royal Company of Archers, the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland.

• Major J K Nairne