Nick Welch | |
---|---|
Born | circa 1964[1] |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1984–2018 |
Rank | Major General |
Commands held | 7 Armoured Brigade 1st Battalion, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment |
Battles/wars | Bosnian War War in Afghanistan |
Awards | Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service |
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]
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 promoted to 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]