General Sir Richard Erskine Ward, GBE, KCB, DSO & Bar, MC (15 October 1917 – 11 August 1989) was a British Army officer who served in the Second World War with distinction and later became Commander of British Forces in Hong Kong.
[3] Ward was awarded the Military Cross in 1942,[4] and the Distinguished Service Order and Bar in 1943.
[3] He was appointed Commanding Officer of the Westminster Dragoons in 1945,[3] and Mentioned in Despatches on 9 August for his services in North-West Europe.
[8] Ward was appointed a Knight of the Order of Leopold II and awarded the Croix de guerre from the Belgian government in 1947.
[15] His findings concerning the British Gas Corporation's methane terminal were disputed by the Health and Safety Executive and the British Gas Corporation and there were doubts about his technical competence: he had conducted the inquiry without the benefit of technical assessors, and had exceeded his terms of reference.