WELCH, John Geo
| Other Name: | Morley-Welch, John George Arthur - Australian Cemeteries Index |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | NX26047 |
| Enlisted: | 2 June 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 8 September 1917 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Actor and Comedian |
| Died: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 14 October 1959, aged 42 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, NSW |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 2 Jun 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX26047 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1943: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, NX26047 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private John Geo Welch (Service No:NX26047) enlisted in the AIF on 2 June 1941 with General Details Depot - graded Gunner - and served in the Middle East with 1 Australian Anti Aircraft Regiment from 28 June 1941 to 16 March 1942. Private Welch was attached to 1 Anti Aircraft Regiment at Discharge on 1 October 1943.
John George Arthur Morley-Welch (aka as Buddy Morley) was born in Sydney, New South Wales in 1917, third of four children of Albert Morley Welch (b1869 in Gloucestershire, England) and Elsie May Tottie (b1883 in Adelaide, South Australia). Albert immigrated with his parents and siblings, arriving in Rockhampton, QLD in 1883 on board the Melpomene. Albert was a Selector at Playfair via Rockhampton in the 1890s, and he and Elsie were both Professional Singers in 1907 when they married in Sydney. By 1920 Albert and Elsie had settled in Rockhampton with their family, and Albert worked as an Agent. In the mid 1920s Albert became a Journalist, working on Magnetic Island and Brisbane.
Buddy was a Vaudeville Performer (Comedian, Actor and Impersonator) from 1934 when he was seventeen years of age. He undertook tours Australia-wide and in New Zealand, performing in country towns with companies such as Coleman's Comedy & Revue Coy, Stanley McKay's Gaieties, Barton's Follies, George Sorlie's Revue Coy and Les Shipp's Vaudeville & Revue Coy. In 1936 in Sydney, Buddy married fellow entertainer Waverley Lorna Wallace (b1911 in Bellata via Narrabri, New South Wales) - the marriage was short lived, and in 1942 in Melbourne, Buddy (believing he was divorced) remarried to Sadie Dawn Butler (b1921 in Sydney, New South Wales) - Sadie was a Juvenile Actress and Tivoli Ballet Girl. Buddy continued performing in Vaudeville and Theatre (as a Comedian, Impersonator and Actor), writing most of his material) until his death in 1959. Both Waverley and Sadie remarried.
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