Born 13 September 1920, son of Major TC Toler of Congleton, Cheshire, David Arthur Hodges Toler was brought up at Swettenham Hall and educated at Stowe under the School’s founding Headmaster, the inspirational JF Roxburgh, with whom he remained in close touch for many years.

In 1939 he went up to Christchurch, Oxford, to read Agriculture, but by virtue of having taken his first years’ exams while still at Stowe, coupled with the fact that war time degree courses were reduced to two years, he left in 1940 and was commissioned into the Coldstream in 1941. Despite the difficult times he still managed to enjoy field sports and whipped in to the great huntsman Ronnie Wallace who was then Master of the Christchurch Beagles. On one occasion he and Wallace, who did not restrict his hounds only to hares, found themselves digging out a fox on the outskirts of Oxford in the middle of an air raid.

In 1942 he took a draft to the 2nd Battalion in North Africa where he arrived in time for the Battle of Longstop Hill at the end of December. Remaining with 2nd Battalion, Toler participated in the capture of the island of Lampedusa where he made much use of the enormous supplies of liberated explosives for fishing.

On arrival in Italy in February 1944, he was soon in action on Monte Ornito, where he was tasked with bringing a platoon up to reinforce another company that was heavily engaged near the summit. On the way in, the Platoon was stonked, losing both the Platoon Commander and Platoon Sergeant. Toler then decided, contrary to orders, to take the remainder of the Platoon forward to join the others who were dug in below a low cliff near the summit. After a cold and busy night exchanging close range mortar fire, it was decided to clear the Germans from the summit. With a soldier servant passing helmets full of grenades up the cliff, Toler then cleared the immediate area before leading the bayonet charge to evict the Germans. Only 10 prisoners were taken and, despite the success of the operation, Toler received a dressing down from the Commanding Officer for breaking the Left Out of Battle rule.

By June 1944 Toler was in command of No4 Company and led them in the attack on Monte Pacciano, north of Perugia, which was taken after a week of heavy fighting by the whole Battalion.

Toler remained with the Battalion for the remainder of the advance up Italy and distinguished himself during the attack on the Argenta Gap in April 1945. Here, in a classic All Arms Battle, he led No4 Company with supporting armour to a decisive victory over a larger force of well dug in Germans, which resulted in the capture of 100 for the loss of three Coldstream casualties. For this he was awarded the MC.

On returned to England in 1946, Toler became Assistant Adjutant at RMA Sandhurst where he reformed the Beagle pack. He was also responsible for introducing a permanent population of Canada geese to the lakes there. During the cold winter of 1946/47 he was able to entice a goose close enough with food to throw himself fully dressed in boots, breeches and spurs upon the creature. Its wings were clipped and thus it remained throughout the summer to breed instead of migrating north. From that time, a year-round colony of the birds was established.

After Staff College in Canada, Toler went on to become Brigade Major of 4th Guards Brigade in Hubblerath before returning to RMA Sandhurst in 1958 as Adjutant. While at Sandhurst he was promoted Brevet Lieutenant Colonel and then Acting Colonel in 1960, when he was assigned as UK Liaison Officer to the US Army Continental Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia. For two years he was constantly on the move across America, accompanying the Commanding General on his tours of inspection to every major base from Alaska to Panama. For this assignment he was awarded the OBE.

In 1962 Toler returned to take command of the 2nd Battalion for two years in which he prepared them for service in Aden before becoming Regimental Lieutenant Colonel in 1964. It was during this period that he had his first brush with the press when, following an incident in which the Regiment had been criticised by the media for overly harsh discipline, Toler had declared that: ‘This is the Brigade of Guards not the Girl Guides’. Unsurprisingly this drew an unsympathetic reaction from the Head Guide and also from his great friend and fellow Coldstreamer, Bill Birkbeck, whose wife Mary was a leading light in the Guide movement at that time. No harm was done, however, and Toler went on to Command 4th Guards Brigade at Iserlohn in 1965. This was a period of intense Cold War activity in which high states of readiness were maintained and much effort was put into improving Anglo German relations. Nonetheless there were lighter moments. On one occasion after a dinner in the Brigade Mess, it was decide to have a snowball fight. However the weather was rather colder than was convenient for outdoor activities, so the whole event was moved indoors, which proved much more congenial – until it came to clearing up the next day, to which the Brigade Commander contributed.

From Iserlohn, Toler was appointed Deputy Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley. He was, however, destined to remain here for short time because in August 1969 he was summoned from leave to be promoted Major General at the age of 48 to become Commander Land Forces in Northern Ireland under General Sir Ian Freeland, the GOC. During the first turbulent months of the Troubles the overriding requirement was to separate the warring factions and to buy time to build up the security framework. Consequently Toler directed the establishment across Belfast of what was to become known as the Peace Line. Although it may have led to the polarising of the community, it did at least enable the Security Forces to exert some measure of control over the movement of those extremist elements of the population determined to attack their neighbours.

From 1970 until retirement Toler became GOC of East Midland District. This period saw the expansion of the TA and it particular the establishment of the 7th Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment. As a consequence he was honoured to be invited to become Deputy Honorary Colonel of the The Royal Anglian Regiment (Lincolnshire).

In 1973 he was offered the post of GOC Berlin but declined, preferring to retire to Fulbeck in Lincolnshire to pursue his abiding interest in rural life, field sports and gardening. From 1974 – 1977 he became the Emergency Planning Officer for Lincolnshire County Council where he developed and exercised a range of contingency plans to address natural disasters, war and peace time emergencies. He was also Chairman of the County TAVRA, Chairman of the Lincoln Diocesan Advisory Committee, President of SSAFA for Lincolnshire and a Deputy Lieutenant for the County.

In 1951 David Toler married Judith Garden of Foucausey, Aberdeenshire, who predeceased him. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

HT