Bellamy received his call-up when he turned 18, which disrupted his plans to go to a university. He signed up in December 1941, to the
Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) after being assured by the recruiting sergeant that he could serve with his father in the
1st Armoured Division and was sent to training at the 58th Training Regiment (RAC) at
Bovington Camp in
Dorset. It was at this time Bellamy received nickname 'Bill'. The other men in his
billet introduced themselves and he became embarrassed, believing he could receive mocking if it was known his name was Lionel. He, instead, stated it was Bill and this stuck for the rest of his life. In the company of a friend he applied successfully to
Brigadier John Van der Byl
DSO for selection as a
cornet in the
8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. He eventually made his way to Kasra-nil Barracks,
Cairo where he joined the regiment under the command of
Colonel Cuthie Goulburn. The hussars then sailed to England to begin training for
D-Day and were embarked for France with the
7th Armoured Division.
D-Day to Berlin Initially, Bellamy was placed in charge of an
echelon, meaning he had to escort his group of supply vehicles to various supply depots to replenish stock used by the regiment. During the
Battle of Villers-Bocage, his jeep ran into retreating German infantry and was hit by sub-machine gun fire. Bellamy was wounded in the head but after receiving seven stitches stayed at his post. After Villers-Bocage, a squadron required re-organisation, and Bellamy was assigned as troop leader of 3rd Troop. He took over as commander of his own
Cromwell Tank, one of three in the troop. On his first day in command of 3rd Troop, he chanced upon two British
armoured cars from the 61st Reconnaissance
Regiment. As they approached him, they were hit by fire from a well concealed enemy
gun. Dismounting his own vehicle, Bellamy approached the two destroyed armoured cars and rescued several members of the crews whom he found alive in the wrecked and gore-streaked interiors.
Into Germany Bellamy was given a leave to return to England upon the untimely death of his mother who was killed by a
V-2 rocket in London. Whilst there he was hospitalised for a bout of recurring jaundice which had dogged him since his time in Egypt. His own opinion was that this was timely as he had been advised by fellow officers that he had become "bomb happy" and was intentionally placing himself in the most dangerous of situations without concern for his safety or that of his tank crew. On his return to the regiment, by now close to
Harburg following the relief of
Fallingbostel POW Camp he was advised he was to take over as second in command of the
Reconnaissance Troop under the command of Tim Pierson. He was allocated a
Chaffee tank which formed part of the main equipment of the Reconnaissance Troop and immediately began operations in this new role. Following operations in observation of the
Elbe and the relief of a POW camp containing around 100 Belgians the regiment entered
Hamburg after the surrender of that city. The condition of the city and its people made him feel very uncomfortable and his feelings towards the German populace mellowed from that of hate to that of pity. After
VE Day he was able to work alongside the Catholic relief agency CCRA based at
Greven near
Münster, helping displaced persons.
Berlin On 4 July 1945 the regiment loaded its tanks onto transporters and set off for
Berlin to take part in the victory parade. The regiment was based at the
Olympic Stadium in the newly designated British Sector. At the first opportunity and before orders were issued prohibiting such activities he and some fellow officers were able to borrow a jeep and explore the administrative heart of the capital. They visited the burnt out shell of the
Reichstag first and then went on to the
Reich Chancellery which was looted and severely damaged in the fighting but largely intact. In Adolf Hitler's study only his desk remained. They tried to gain access to the gardens at the rear but the Russians had placed a guard on it and forbade them exploring it. They were however, able to grab some souvenirs from the detritus in the building in the form of several small etchings and cards which contained Christmas greetings from the
Führer. Having interfaced with the Russians and watched a number of incidents at close quarters including the deaths of two civilians Bellamy formed the opinion that "it seemed abundantly clear to us that the Russians had been given carte blanche to carry out any excess in Berlin as a means of punishing and totally subduing the population." On Saturday 21 July 1945 the regiment took its place behind the vehicles of the
Royal Horse Artillery as second most senior army regiment on parade. The parade commenced 20 minutes late at 10:50. Promoted to
captain in August 1945 Bellamy went on extended leave from what he describes as quite a leisurely life in Berlin which ended before his return as the regiment was moved to
Itzehoe in
Schleswig-Holstein.
Post war Bill Bellamy was appointed
adjutant of the 8th Hussars and in 1950 was organising the regiment for overseas deployment to Korea when he again became ill with another bout of recurring jaundice. Officially deemed "Fit for home service only" he was transferred to the
Northamptonshire Yeomanry as adjutant, finally retiring from the army in 1955. == Civilian life and family ==