AN Army major, who overcame wartime restrictions to transport a pack of beagles from the South to Catterick Garrison by taxi and train, has died aged 81.

Major John Parry was born in Ireland but returned to England withhis family after the death of his father.

Educated at Marlborough, he joined the Army at the outbreak of the Second World War but, as asthma prevented him from taking any overseas posting. He threw his energies into organising realistic training for soldiers likely to face combat overseas.

He was adjutant of the Training Centre at Lockerbie, in Scotland, when the unit was transferred to Catterick Garrison.

It was during his stay there in 1943 that he asked permission from the commanding officer, Colonel William Whitbread, to bring in a pack of beagles from Sheerness, in Kent, which the war had left without a home.

Undaunted by the lack of military transport, Major Parry loaded the 16 dogs into taxis for the trip to St Pancras Station where they were booked on to a train for the 250-mile trip north.

Major Perry was to find himself serving with the Whitbread family after the war, joining the brewery as a maltings manager in Norfolk and Kent, which proved to be the first step in a successful career as a brewer.

He was also awarded the CBE in 1994 for his work as a fundraiser for the Conservative Party in the Eastern Counties and East Midlands.

Major Perry leaves a widow, Jean, and a daughter.