Richard Welcher

From an Ely newspaper shortly after 28 December 1970:

"Dick is 100 but he likes a song and dance. Mr Richard Welcher settled comfortably in his chair at Ely's Tower Hospital on Monday, sipped his fifth sherry and said "I like a drink - I have one most days, but I don't abuse it". If there was a slight excess on Mr Welcher's part, it was excusable. For the former butcher-soldier - farmer was celebrating his 100th birthday.

Relatives - he has a son, daughter, eight grandchildren and ten great grandchildren - turned up at the Percy Stevens ward with an iced cake. There were telegrams from the Queen's Private Secretary; Sir Keith Joseph, Secretary of State for Social Security; the Essex Regiment; the parishioners of Doddington; and a letter from Sir Harry Legge-Bourke, MP for the Isle of Ely. And in addition to the sherry, there was a bottle of his favourite stout....

Said white haired Mr Welcher, who still gets about the ward despite a heart attack two weeks ago, "I am quite all right, I can read the paper, dance a jig and sing a song." He was born at Doddington, and brought up by his grandmother, who kept the old White Swan, at New World, Doddington. And the pub habit stuck for as long as Dick Welcher was able to get out. For years he was a daily visitor to Doddington's Three Tuns, - where he once played a game of dominoes with Sir Harry. Even when he became a Tower patient at the age of 91, he walked to the Dog and Gun on Cambridge Road, Ely. Then the pub closed and now he does his drinking at home.

"I went to a private school run by an old lady," he recalled, "but then the Board school came along and I had to go there." On leaving he was apprenticed as a butcher to Mr Fred Berridge of Chatteris. But at 15 he ran away in a vain attempt to join the army - the authorities discovered he was under age and sent him home. About two years later he succeeded, joining the Essex Regiment and later transferring to Sherwood Foresters. "My father told me I was to find a living for myself," he recalled, "but when I told him what it was he burst into tears."

He spent 12 years in the forces, seven of them overseas, including South Africa, India and Cyprus. His tally of three medals with eight bars includes Punjab Frontier Medal 1897-98. Today he is one of the oldest survivors of the Boer War - and the oldest member of the British Legion's Doddington branch, of which he is a founder member.

Out of the army, he was married in 1903 to Miss Hannah Elizabeth Giddens, of Doddington, who died 14 years ago, and farmed at Parson's Land, near Benwick. Later he lived in March-road, Doddington.

After telling his story, Dick joined in the family party, with a song".


From Ian Wesley in Sydney, Australia by email from 'ijwesley@@smartchat.net.au':

1 15 July 2001, with photos attached as follows:

Roundh1.jpg shows Hannah Elizabeth Giddings b. 1871ish (who married Richard Welcher b 1870) standing by the fence and her mother standing in the doorway.
Roundh2 shows two people identified as Mr and Mrs Giddings. This picture has 1830 as the year of production, but I am not sure about this as this would put the picture at the very beginning of the photographic era. I suspect that the two were taken about the same time. Judging by the age of Hannah who looks in her 20's, I would put this as 1890's.

The newspaper cuttings concern Richard Welcher's 100th birthday (I am the little boy on his knee). Also attached is a copy of his marriage certificate. The interesting point about this are the witnesses. No-one in the family knows who Nellie Welcher was (Nellie could be Ellen). He was brought up by his Grandmother (according to the newspaper article), but I haven't made any progress down that route as yet as I have not been able to find any record of the pub metioned in the licensing records.
Finally, a few more pieces of info. The Doddington parish section of the March Deanery Magazine for February 1911 lists two baptisms - one is Cissie Rosamond Welcher (my grandmother) - the other is a William Welcher. I don't know if the two are related in any way - was William a brother of Cissie who died in infancy, or is he part of the other side of the Welcher clan? Also, a William Welcher farmed out at Snare Hill Farm, Watton, Norfolk. His claim to fame was that he bred a horse "Honest Tom" who won the champion horse at the national agriculture show in the 1860's and was named "Horse of the Century".

I also have scans of Richard Welcher's army discharge papers if you are interested.

2 19-Jul-01 04:28:08 MsgID: MC3-D9C5-5D38 ToID: 100112,1256

Hi Alan and Heather

Many thanks for the info - it confirms what I suspected, but didn't have time to confirm when I was in England in May. I can add a little to the end of your line - Richard, born in 1870 had 3 children. John William was born in 1904 and died in 1966, unmarried and with no known children. Herbert Edward was born in 1907. He married Lillian (surname unknown) and had a number of children. At least two are still surviving and live in Chatteris.
I will send more details if you wish, but I still have to transcribe my notes, and fill in a few gaps. Richard's only daughter was Cissie Rosamond (b 1909). She married George Edward Wesley of Stonea. They had two children - Hazel and Graham John (my father). Graham married Maureen Patricia Anker of March. I was born in 28/1/1969 and my brother, Neil Richard was born in 20/6/1972. Neil married in May, but I am still single. Cissie still lives in Wimblington, but she is in failing health and cannot really look after herself. George died in about 1982 (need to check the exact date) in Peterborough District Hospital.

Most of the newspaper articles are from the Cambridgeshire Times (or the local edition - March or Chatteris Times). Some may be from the Ely papers. In most cases, the text is the same suggesting that the same report was simply repeated in all the local press. Unfortunately, many of the cuttings do not have dates, but would have appeared in the next issue after the event (a Friday).

END