Sir Alexander Roy Asplin Beldam, PC (29 March 1925 – 16 October 2020) was a British judge who served as

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

from 1989 until 2000.

Early years

He was the son of the

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

er and photographer

George Beldam George William Beldam (1 May 1868 – 23 November 1937) was an English first-class cricketer and a pioneer of sports photography, action photography in sport. George Beldam was the eldest child of a family that was descended from seventeenth-cen ...

and his second wife, Margaret Underwood. After attending

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

, he served in the wartime Royal Navy

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

, flying as an Observer in

Grumman Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

s with the

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships ...

Career

He was called to the Bar in 1950 and made

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1969. After appointment as a Recorder in 1972, he was appointed a judge of the High Court in 1981 for which he received the customary knighthood. In 1989, he was elevated to the

Court of Appeal of England and Wales The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England", commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Courts of England and Wales#Senior Courts of England and Wales, Senior Courts of England and Wal ...

, where he served until his retirement in 2000. He was made a member of the Privy Council in 1989. He also served as Legal Assessor to the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...

from 1976–81, and as Chairman of the

Law Commission A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chang ...

from 1985–89. He was also a Bencher of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. His daughter, Alexandra Beldam, was called to the Bar in 1981 and has been the Registrar of Criminal Appeals, Master of the Crown Office and Queen's Coroner since 5 November 2018. He died on 16 October 2020 at the age of 95.Obituary
the times.co.uk. Accessed 24 December 2022.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beldam, Roy 1925 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English judges British King's Counsel Chancery Division judges Knights Bachelor Lords Justices of Appeal Members of the Inner Temple Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Oundle School Royal Air Force personnel of World War II