A long-serving Norfolk police officer, Gordon Juby, who has died aged 94, won 19 commendations for bringing criminals to justice in his 30-year career.

He was also secretary to the Coldstream Guards Association for many years. Invited to Royal Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace, he was later presented to the Queen on several occasions at Windsor when a service of dedication of new colours for the Coldstream Guards were held.

Born at North Green, Reymerston, near Dereham, on May 12, 1919, Gordon Percy Juby was the fifth child of nine and was the last survivor. His cousin was Jack, who was the great Norfolk horseman.

He left school at 14 to work on a local farm, scaring crows, and then working with horses, learning to plough a perfect straight furrow.

As war was looming, he went to Norwich to join the Royal Norfolk Regiment. However, the duty recruiting sergeant was a Coldstreamer, and suggested that the 6ft 2in recruit would make an ideal Coldstream Guardsman.

His duties later involved mounting guard at Buckingham Palace and taking part in ceremonial occasions before King George VI including Trooping the Colour. He took part in the invasion of occupied France as the tank battalion landed on D-Day +4 and was badly wounded at Caen.

During the second world war, he was wounded twice and his first injury kept him in hospital for seven weeks before he volunteered to return to the front.

A colour sergeant in the 5th Battalion until he left the Army after nine and a half years, he joined the Metropolitan Police at Tower Hill in 1947 before moving to Norfolk after a year.

As a practical policeman, who became a sergeant at East Harling in September 1965, he argued that his role should concentrate on preventing crime and catching offenders and not carrying out paperwork. At Hemsby, he was a member of the county police's top first-aid group, which won the Garland Trophy for six consecutive years.

He also served in Sheringham, Downham Market, Attleborough and East Harling before moving to Wymondham, where he retired in November 1977. He then took over a smallholding at Long Stratton and combined small-scale food production with raising funds for good causes by holding charity barn dances and strawberry teas.

Married to Jennie, who was a nurse from Yorkshire, for 60 years, they had met on VJ Day celebrations in London on August 15, 1945. They married in 1948. When he was widowed about a fortnight after their Diamond anniversary, he remained independent and still took a keen interest in regimental affairs until shortly before his death at Walcot Hall nursing home, near Diss.

He leaves two married daughters, Audrey and Susan, a granddaughter and grandson and a great grand-daughter.

A funeral service will be held at St Faith's Crematorium on Monday, January 6 at 1.15pm.

Michael Pollitt