David Burden
Encyclopedia
Major-General
David Leslie Burden CB
CVO
CBE
(born 1943) is a British Army
officer who went on to be Military Secretary.
in 1964. He was posted to Germany
and to Northern Ireland
and transferred to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
under the McLeod reorganisation in 1965. He attended the Army Staff College
in 1975, the National Defence College
in 1981 and the Royal College of Defence Studies
in 1988.
In the mid/late 70s he twice served in the Ministry of Defence
and undertook two tours with the Allied Command Mobile Force Land, one in the HQ and one in command of a logistic company. 1981 he became Chief Personnel and Logistic Officer for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
and in 1983 he became Commanding Officer
of the Ordnance Battalion for 1st Armoured Division. In 1985 he was made Deputy Chief of Staff
at Headquarters British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
and then Assistant Chief of Staff at Headquarters British Army of the Rhine
. In 1991 he became Director General Resettlement in the Ministry of Defence
and in 1992 he became the first Director General of the Royal Logistic Corps
. In 1995 he was appointed Military Secretary.
On retirement from the Army he became Receiver General of Westminster Abbey
. He is a Consultant to LGS Matrix.
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
David Leslie Burden CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1943) is a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who went on to be Military Secretary.
Military career
Burden was commissioned into the Royal Army Service CorpsRoyal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
in 1964. He was posted to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and transferred to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
under the McLeod reorganisation in 1965. He attended the Army Staff College
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in 1975, the National Defence College
Joint Service Defence College
The Joint Service Defence College was a training academy for British military personnel in the period from 1983 to 1997. It has now been amalgamated into the Joint Services Command and Staff College.-History:...
in 1981 and the Royal College of Defence Studies
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
in 1988.
In the mid/late 70s he twice served in the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and undertook two tours with the Allied Command Mobile Force Land, one in the HQ and one in command of a logistic company. 1981 he became Chief Personnel and Logistic Officer for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions...
and in 1983 he became Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the Ordnance Battalion for 1st Armoured Division. In 1985 he was made Deputy Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
at Headquarters British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong consisted of the elements of the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Much of the British military left Hong Kong prior to the handover in 1997. The present article focuses mainly on the British garrison in Hong Kong in the post Second World War era...
and then Assistant Chief of Staff at Headquarters British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
. In 1991 he became Director General Resettlement in the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and in 1992 he became the first Director General of the Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
. In 1995 he was appointed Military Secretary.
On retirement from the Army he became Receiver General of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
. He is a Consultant to LGS Matrix.