Andrew Belton

Andrew Belton (17 April 1882 – 1970) was a British Army officer and veteran of campaigns in South Africa and Morocco. He was an early exponent of the use of aircraft for military purposes, enrolling at the Chicago School of Aviation in April, 1911.[1] He was an entrepreneur who registered a number of companies in the newly established Irish Free State.

Andrew Belton
Nickname(s)Kaid
Born(1882-04-17)17 April 1882
Cleator Moor, Cumberland, England
Died1970 (aged 87–88)
South Africa
AllegianceBritish Empire
Service/branchLegion of Frontiersmen
RankMajor General

Military career

Following the deaths of two of his brothers during the Second Boer War, and though under age, Belton enlisted and saw service in Africa. On his return to England, he became aware of the developing military dispute in Morocco, subsequently known as the First Moroccan Crisis. Having apparently resigned his military commission, he assisted Abdelhafid, Caliph of Marrakesh pretender to the sultanate, in overthrowing his brother Abdelaziz, then sultan of Morocco, in a coup d'état known as the Hafidiya.[2] This is how Belton acquired the title Kaid, or Commander.[3]

During the Spanish Civil War, he was arrested in Seville having crossed the border from Gibraltar.[4] He was instrumental in establishing the Independent Overseas Command of the Legion of Frontiersmen in Africa.[5]

Broadcasting enquiry

In 1924, Belton was at the centre of an investigation concerning allegations of Government corruption in the Irish Free State. He came to public attention when a letter from him to the Irish Postmaster General, J. J. Walsh was revealed by Walsh. Accusations of impropriety centered around the business relationship between Belton and Deputy Darrell Figgis, and Wireless Broadcasting concessions,[6] which led to Belton almost gaining control of the Irish Broadcasting Company.[7][8] The ensuing scandal finished Figgis' political career.

Death

Andrew Belton died in South Africa in 1970 at the age of 88. He was survived by his third wife, Kathleen Belton née Mossop, who was a niece of the late Dean F.C Clayton, and also a son and daughter who lived in the south of England.[9]

References
  1. Gardiner, Keene (4 April 1911). "KAID OF MOROCCO STUDENT OF AIR". Chicago Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  2. "Search results". Exploring Surrey's Past. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  3. "Kaid Andrew Belton". Cleator Moor. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  4. Foreign Intervention in Spain, p. 84 by Hispanicus; retrieved on 2008-10-29
  5. Cushny, Tom (December 1977). "The Demise of the Legion of Frontiersmen in Africa - North, South, East, West and Central". Military History Journal. The South AfricanMilitary History Society. 4 (2). Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  6. Savage, Robert J. (1996). Irish Television. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-275-95457-4. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  7. Pine, Richard (2002). 2Rn and the Origins of Irish Radio. Four Courts Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-85182-603-2. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  8. Maurice Gorham : Forty Years of Irish Broadcasting Published for Radio Telefís Éireann [by] Talbot Press, 1967
  9. "Kaid Andrew Belton". Cleator Moor. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
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