Lieutenant Raymond C Belcher

Lieutenant Raymond Charles Belcher  was granted an emergency commission on 2 January 1943, and served in the Royal Armoured Corps. 

He subsequently served with the Airborne Light Tank Squadron RAC. The unit was expanded and redesignated as the 6th Airborne Armoured Reconnaisance Regiment (6AARR) in January 1944.

Lt Belcher volunteered for parachute duties and attended Course 99 at RAF Ringway, which ran from 19 January to 3 February 1944, for parachute training. The course instructors' notes record that he was cheerful and humorous on the course, and had improved to a good standard of parachuting by the end.

He was placed in charge of the regiment's Harbour Party, which consisted of approximately fifteen men who were trained parachutists. Their role was to jump with the leading pathfinder units, reconnoitre and secure the area to which the regiment would later deploy by glider.

Lt Belcher was part of the spearhead force for the Normandy Landings. He took off in a converted Stirling of 620 Sqn from RAF Fairford with four other members of the Harbour Party shortly before midnight on 5/6 June 1944.

Unfortunately the aircraft was hit by flak and crashed at Château de Grangues - killing all 19 parachutists on board and the six air crew. For further information about the crash site, from the 591 (Antrim) Parachute Squadron website, please click here.

The other members of his harbour party stick who died in the crash were Cpl Peter Earwicker, Tpr Michael Done, Tpr George Lamont, and Tpr Arthur Wilson.

Lieutenant Belcher died on 6 June 1944 and is now buried at Ranville War Cemetery, Normandy.

Headstone photograph courtesy of Bob Hilton.