Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Sir George James Cullum Welch, 1st Baronet, (20 October 1895 – 28 July 1980), commonly known as Sir Cullum Welch, was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer, businessman, and member of the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...

, who served as

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

between 1956 and 1957. Welch was the son of James Reader Welch and Harriet Cullum and was brought up in

Chard, Somerset Chard is a town and a civil parish in the English county of Somerset. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon and Dorset borders, south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 13,000 and, at an elevation of , Chard is the s ...

. He was educated at

Alleyn's School Alleyn's School is a 4–18 co-educational, independent, Church of England, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he served as an officer in the

Royal Berkshire Regiment The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as the Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), b ...

, attaining the rank of Captain and being awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

. He again served with the regiment during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, gaining the rank of

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. He was invested as an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1944. In 1946 Welch was elected Chief Commoner of the Court of Common Council. He served as an Alderman of the City of London between 1947 and 1970, and was

Sheriff of the City of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...

in the 1950. He was knighted in 1952. Welch was Honorary Colonel of the Royal Fusiliers between 1953 and 1965 and of the City of London

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF mak ...

from 1956 to 1965. In 1956 he was elected

. On 16 December 1957 he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Chard in the County of Somerset. Welch was a Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

and was invested as an Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

in 1964. He married Gertrude Evelyn Sladin Harrison, daughter of John William Harrison, on 23 April 1921, and together they had two children.ThePeerage.com (entry #607070) http://www.thepeerage.com/p60707.htm He married his second wife, Irene Avril (died 2 March 1996), daughter of John Foster OBE, on 25 February 1969. Welch was succeeded in his title by his only son.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Sir Cullum, 1st Baronet 1895 births 1980 deaths People educated at Alleyn's School People from Chard, Somerset Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Councilmen and Aldermen of the City of London Knights Bachelor Knights of the Order of St John Sheriffs of the City of London 20th-century lord mayors of London 20th-century English politicians Officers of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Royal Berkshire Regiment officers Royal Fusiliers officers Military personnel from Somerset