David Belchem | |
|---|---|
 (From left to right) Brigadier E. T. Williams, Lieutenant-Colonel L. M. Murphy and Brigadier R. F. K. Belchem at the second anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein dinner on 26 October 1944 | |
| Birth name | Ronald Frederick King Belchem |
| Born | 21 January 1911 Gibraltar |
| Died | 19 July 1981 (aged 70) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1931–1953 |
| Rank | Major-general |
| Service number | 49798 |
| Unit | Royal Armoured Corps |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | List
|
Ronald Frederick King "David" Belchem CB CBE DSO (21 January 1911 – 19 July 1981) was a senior British Army officer who saw service in the Second World War.
A graduate of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, where he was awarded the Anson Memorial Sword for passing out first and the King's Medal for the cadet best qualified in military subjects, Belchem was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment in 1931. Fluent in French, Russian and Italian, he qualified as an Army interpreter in Russian and Italian, and served on exchange with an Italian armoured unit. He commanded a detachment of six Vickers Mark III light tanks, in Mandatory Palestine, for which he was mentioned in despatches. He passed the entrance examinations and was accepted into the Staff College, Camberley, but due to the outbreak of the Second World War he attended a truncated course at the new staff college in Haifa instead.
In February 1941, he became the General Staff Officer Grade 2 (GSO2) in the headquarters (HQ) of W Force, an expeditionary force being sent to Greece. He participated in the Battle of Greece, and the chaotic evacuation. In December 1941 he became the General Staff Officer Grade 1 (GSO1) (Staff Duties) of the newly formed Eighth Army. He participated in the Western Desert campaign, and in January 1943, was appointed to command the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, which he led in the Tunisian campaign, earning an immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order. He returned to the staff of the Eighth Army as its GSO1 (Operations) until the end of the Sicilian operation, when he became the Brigadier General Staff (BGS) (Operations and Plans). In January 1944 he joined the staff of the 21st Army Group as the BGS (Operations). He was considered the deputy chief of staff, and acted as chief of staff for a month in 1945.
After the war, Belchem commanded the 6th (Highland) Infantry Brigade and later the 33rd Armoured Brigade in Germany. Between these appointments, he served as chief of staff to Field Marshal Lord Montgomery in his role as chairman of the Committee for Western Union Defence Organisation.