Air Marshal Sir William Lawrie Welsh, (10 February 1891 – 2 January 1962) was a
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) a ...
officer who commanded British air operations during
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
.
Early career
Welsh started his career in the Merchant Navy and from 1910 he was midshipman in the
Royal Navy Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...
prior to the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Welsh joined the
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
in November 1914 as a pilot at '' RNAS Calshot''.Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Air Marshal Sir William Welsh /ref> During the early years of the war, Welsh acted as a test pilot and became one of the first pilots to fly a plane off an early carrier, flying a Sopwith Schneider floatplane off , while sailing at approximately 18 knots, on 6 August 1915. He again repeated this on 3 November with the ship sailing at full speed. Welsh was shot down while flying a
Sopwith Baby
The Sopwith Baby is a British single-seat floatplane that was operated by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) from 1915.
Development and design
The Baby (also known as the Admiralty 8200 Type) was a development of the two-seat Sopwith Schneide ...
seaplane, landing only six miles northeast of
Dunkirk
Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.No. 217 Squadron on the formation of the RAF and then went on to command No. 214 Squadron from January 1918. Stationed in Egypt, Welsh was awarded a permanent commission as a Major on 1 August 1919.
Interwar years
Following the war, Welsh continued with developmental flying and, in 1921, he surveyed the air route from
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
to
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesip ...
flying across the
Syrian Desert
The Syrian Desert ( ar, بادية الشام ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, Semi-arid climate, semi-desert and steppe covering of the Middle East, incl ...
. As commanding officer of No. 14 Squadron, Welsh would serve on the Air Staff at Middle East Area headquarters from August 1921. Serving in a number of staff and command positions during most of the 20s, Welsh served as commanding officer of the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment from September 1930 until his appointment as commanding officer of No. 203 Squadron in 1931. In 1934, Welsh became Director of Organization and within three years was named
Air Member for Supply and Organisation
The Air Member for Materiel is the senior Royal Air Force officer responsible for procurement matters. The post-holder is a member of the Air Force Board and is in charge of all aspects of procurement and organisation for RAF regular, reserve an ...
. He was present at the funeral of
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
on 28 January 1936.
Second World War
Welsh served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Reserve Command from April 1940, as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Technical Training Command from May 1940 and as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command from July 1941. Overseeing Eastern Air Command in 1942, Welsh was responsible for providing air support for allied forces in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
during Operation Torch. Welsh would later lead the RAF delegation in Washington, D.C. during 1943 and 1944 before his resignation on 1 December 1944.
Later years
Following his retirement, Welsh stayed in the United States and eventually divorced his wife, Dame Mary Welsh, to marry, in 1947, Elysabeth Cochran Carrere; formerly Mrs Barbour, who was previously married to
United States Senator Warren Barbour.
Welsh would later become the North American representative for the
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is the trade association for the United Kingdom motor industry. Its role is to "promote the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad."
History
SMMT was founded by Frede ...