Allegiance United Kingdom Name Keith Burch Awards CB CBE | Rank Major-General Service/branch British Army | |
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Born 31 May 1931 ( 1931-05-31 ) Died 26 March 2013(2013-03-26) (aged 81) Other work Chapter Clerk of York Minister | ||
Major-General Keith Burch CB CBE (31 May 1931 – 27 March 2013) was a senior officer in the British Army. His obituary in The Times described him as ‘a soldier who commanded with a firm, determined hand in Hong Kong, Aden, Cyprus and Germany’.
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Early life
Keith Burch was born 31 May 1931, the son of Christopher Burch and Gwendoline Ada (née James). He was educated at Bedford Modern School and Sandhurst.
Career
In 1951, Burch was commissioned into the Essex Regiment. He was sent to Korea in 1953 with the 1st Battalion as his patrol’s platoon commander, building defences along the Korean ceasefire line for over a year. The 1st Essex later moved to Hong Kong where ‘he exercised his authority as senior subaltern without fear or favour’.
In 1954, the Essex Regiment merged into what became the Royal Anglian Regiment following which Burch held a junior staff appointment in Kenya before attending the Staff College, Camberley. Having qualified at Camberley, he was appointed to the Staff Duties branch of the Army Department of the Ministry of Defence and was appointed MBE on leaving in 1965.
Burch saw active service with the 4th (Leicestershire) Battalion in Aden. He was subsequently recalled to Camberley as a member of the Directing Staff. In 1969, he was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel to command the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment.
In 1976 Burch was promoted to Colonel and appointed Chief of Staff of the 2nd Division in Germany, then commanded by Major-General Sir Frank Kitson. Kitson ‘appreciated a man who planned thoroughly and got things done without fuss’. He was subsequently made CBE and promoted to Brigadier as Director of Administrative Planning in the Army Department of the Ministry of Defence.
Burch’s final military post was in the rank of Major-General as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel and Logistics) in the Ministry of Defence from 1983 to 1985.
Awards and honours
Burch was made MBE in 1965, CBE in 1977 and Companion Order of the Bath in 1985.
Personal life
In 1953 and whilst an officer, he competed in middle distance competitive running in Hong Kong, holding the Crown Colony’s record for the 800 and 1500 metres. In 1957, Burch married Sara Vivette Hales; they had one son and two daughters. Following his retirement, Burch was Chapter Clerk of York Minster between 1985 and 1995.
In 2006 he and his wife emigrated to New Zealand. Burch died on The Yellow Sea (Huang Hai) on 27 March 2013. He was survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.