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 Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

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 local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...

, who served as

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

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 parishes in England, 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 14,000 and, at an el ...

. He was educated at

Alleyn's School Alleyn's School is a 4–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, independent, 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 foundatio ...

. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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), by ...

, attaining the rank of Captain and being awarded the

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

. He again served with the regiment during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, gaining the rank of Lieutenant colonel. 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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 of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...

in the 1950. He was knighted in 1952. Welch was Honorary Colonel of the 8th (1st City of London) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers and of the City of London

Army Cadet Force The Army Cadet Force (ACF), generally shortened to Army Cadets, is a national Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence and the Bri ...

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 Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. Welch was a Commander of the

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

and was invested as an Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () 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 performed acts of special merits for ...

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 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 1 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