Richard Ward (British Army officer)

General Sir Richard Erskine Ward GBE KCB DSO MC (1917–1989) was Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong.

Military career
Ward was commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps in 1937. He served in World War II with 5th Royal Tank Regiment 1939 in the Western Desert and North Africa taking part in the Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Tunis in 1942. He was Brigade Major with 4th Armoured Brigade during the Normandy Landings in France in 1944. He was appointed Commanding Officer of the Westminster Dragoons in 1945.

He served with 1st Royal Tank Regiment in Korea in 1952 before becoming Commanding Officer of 3rd Royal Tank Regiment in 1957. He was made Commander of 20th Armoured Brigade in 1963 and General Officer Commanding 1st Division in 1965. He went on to be Vice Adjutant-General in 1968 and Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong in 1970. His final post was as Chief of Personnel and Logistics at the Ministry of Defence from 1974; he retired in 1976.

He was also Colonel Commandant of the Royal Tank Regiment from 1970 to 1975.

In retirement he presided over an Inquiry into a proposed development by BP at Canvey Island which reported in March 1981.