Nick Welch (British Army officer)

Nicholas Welch, (born c. 1964) is a retrospectively dismissed British Army major general who served as the Assistant Chief of the General Staff. In March 2021 he became the highest ranked British officer to be convicted at a court martial in over 200 years.[2]

Nick Welch
Brigadier Welch in 2011
Borncirca 1964[1]
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1984–2018
RankMajor General
Commands held7 Armoured Brigade
1st Battalion, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Battles/warsBosnian War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsQueen's Commendation for Valuable Service

Military career

Welch was commissioned into the Gloucestershire Regiment on 20 April 1984.[3] His deployments included Berlin, Northern Ireland and Belize.[4]

Welch became commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment in 2002 and,[5] having been promoted to colonel on 30 June 2006,[6] he became commander of 7 Armoured Brigade based in Bergen-Hohne, Germany in March 2009.[7] He was deployed with 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as the deputy commander of Regional Command (South West) in Afghanistan in September 2011,[8] and briefly served as Deputy Director of Strategic Studies in the Ministry of Defence before becoming Director Army Division at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in August 2012.[9] He went on to be Chief of Staff, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps in July 2014,[7] and Assistant Chief of the General Staff in December 2015.[10][11]

Welch was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service for service in the former Yugoslavia in March 2005.[12] He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours[13] and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours.[14] The award of the OBE was annulled and cancelled in August 2023.[15]

After leaving the army, Welch became Chief Operating Officer of Arts University Bournemouth.[16]

In 2020, Welch became the most senior officer to face a court martial since 1815 over accusations that he fraudulently claimed monetary expenses.[17] He was found guilty of fraud in March 2021,[18] sentenced to 21 months in a civilian prison and retrospectively dismissed from the army.[19]

References
  1. Morris, Steven (25 March 2021). "Senior army officer convicted of £48,000 Dorset boarding school fee fraud". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  2. Brown, Larisa. "Major general convicted of fraud over £48,000 claim for private school fees". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  3. "No. 49813". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 July 1984. p. 10102.
  4. "Shedhead Major General returns to Gloucestershire as chief of staff for ARRC – with one eye on Gloucester vs Bath". Gloucester Citizen. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  5. "Why do regiments matter?". BBC. 6 December 2004. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  6. "No. 58034". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 July 2006. p. 9061.
  7. "Senior Army appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  8. "Brigadier General Nick Welch steps into top Afghanistan role". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 25 September 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  9. "Ministry of Defence and Senior Tri-Service Appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  10. "Major General Nick Welch". Corenet. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  11. "Annual Newsletter" (PDF). Regimental Association of The Rifles and The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment. 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  12. "No. 57588". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 2005. p. 3372.
  13. "No. 56070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 6.
  14. "No. 57855". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2005. p. 5.
  15. "No. 64152". The London Gazette. 23 August 2023. p. 16878.
  16. "University pledges action after senior officer's fraud conviction". Times Higher Education. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  17. "Civilians may be called up to court martial of Major General Nick Welch". The Times. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  18. Brown, Faye (25 March 2021). "Major General found guilty of swindling £48,000 to pay for kids' boarding schoo". Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  19. "Major general jailed for Dorset school fees fraud". BBC News. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
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