William Belcher For the New Zealand and Fijian bird artist, see William J. Belcher. William Belcher (c.1860 – 15 June 1926) was a New Zealand seaman and unionist. He was born in London, England on c.1860.[1][2] References ^ Olssen, Erik. "William Belcher". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017. ^ "William Belcher on the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography".