The Reverend KF Belben TD ChStJ CF(TA)

on 14 March 2002 aged 72

The first obituary, on the right of the photograph, appeared in B&C 98 Jun 02. The splendid full obituary, below the photograph, appeared in The Castle.
It was reprinted in B&C 99 Dec 02, with acknowledgement and thanks to Maj John Hutchings and to his wife Heather who e-mailed it!

Maj The Reverend Cf3 Ken Belben TD ChStJ  of Great Maplestead, Essex, in March 2002, at a relatively young age, from an infection picked up in hospital.
For many years Ken was Padre to 6 Royal Anglian (V) and a real stalwart.
The turnout for his funeral was monumental.
A Gentleman of the Old School, he will be particularly remembered for his playing of tape-recorded hymn tapes at 1970s camp services in an effort to get us to sing!    John Metcalfe and JLR

Click here for a reminiscence by Gordon Reynolds concerning those tapes played for 5 Royal Anglian (V).

The Reverend Ken Belben, who died unexpectedly in hospital on March 14th, 2002, at the age of 72, served for many years as Chaplain to TA, ACF and Volunteer units of the Essex and Royal Anglian Regiments. He also regularly conducted services at the Regimental Chapel at Warley, where his familiar presence will be much missed.
Kenneth Frank Belben was born at the small Essex village of Latton, near Harlow. in 1930. As a small boy he went to Fawbert & Barnard's School, where he became very interested in the Church of England. His Methodist grandparents took him to Chapel, but he soon discovered that choirboys at the Parish Church were paid 2d for choir practice and 2s 5d for each service. Ken was quickly converted to the Anglican Church and increased his weekly income by 7d.
Gradually he genuinely and completely grew to love the church services, so much so that by the age of eleven he never wanted anything other than to be ordained a Priest in the Church. It was a passion he never lost. Even after he retired in 1995 he couldn't bear having a Sunday when he didn't take one service-better still two!
As a teenager Ken went to St John's College, Harlow. Then followed five years in the Civil Service, before going up to Durham University to read Theology. In 1955 he was ordained in the Diocese of Chelmsford, where he spent the whole of his ministry. He was Curate in three East End parishes - first at Plaistow, then Chadwell Heath and finally at Marks Gate. In complete contrast, in 1964, Ken was appointed Vicar of the rural parishes of Great and Little Maplestead near Halstead. These parishes were united in 1914, just after the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem became patrons of the living. The Hospitallers had built a considerable estate at Little Maplestead in the Middle Ages, and the round church was designed especially to accommodate the Knights' own form of worship. Ken's long association with them led to him becoming Chaplain to the Order of St John from 1977. For twenty years, from 1975, until retirement, he was also Rector of Gestingthorpe.
During his ministry Ken was very active in other fields as well. He was a local councillor, chairman of the Friends of Halstead Hospital and clerk to the local Deanery Clergy Chapter. He loved the village school at Great Maplestead - the children, the teachers and the parents. As if this wasn't enough he arranged pilgrimages to the Holy Land and other biblical sites. On retirement in 1995, Ken and his wife Janet went to live at Earls Colne. 'Retired' is of course rather a loose word to apply to clergy, and to Ken especially. He usually took one service each Sunday, mostly at Earls Colne, and he celebrated the Eucharist one day a month at Chelmsford Cathedral. From 1996 until his death he helped care in succession for three groups of parishes during their interregnums, and when he died he was just completing a year as Chaplain to George Courtauld, High Sheriff of Essex.
The Church of St Giles at Great Maplestead was solidly packed for Ken's funeral, telling testament of a highly-regarded and much-loved Parish Priest and Padre. The Essex and Royal Anglian Regiment Associations were represented by Col Geoffrey Morgan. Many former members of the units served, and served in, by Ken also attended.
Ken was the devoted husband of Janet for nearly forty-seven years, a wonderful father to his daughters Susan and Wendy, and the super grandfather of Jemma, Sarah, Hayley and Mark. Our deepest sympathy goes out to them all.   JEH / PS