Rhoderic WELCH

WELCH, Rhoderic

Service Number: 29171
Enlisted: 21 June 1916
Last Rank: Gunner
Last Unit: Australian Field Artillery - 116th to 120th Howitzer Batteries: AIF
Born: Helensburgh, New South Wales, Australia, 1895
Home Town: Hurstville, Kogarah, New South Wales
Schooling: Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Carpenter and Joiner
Died: Palm Beach, New South Wales, Australia, 7 June 1969, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Not yet discovered
Memorials: Municipality of Hurstville Pictorial Honour Roll No 2, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour
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World War 1 Service

21 Jun 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Gunner, 29171, Australian Field Artillery - 116th to 120th Howitzer Batteries: AIF
30 Sep 1916: Involvement Gunner, 29171, Australian Field Artillery - 116th to 120th Howitzer Batteries: AIF, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: ''
30 Sep 1916: Embarked Gunner, 29171, Australian Field Artillery - 116th to 120th Howitzer Batteries: AIF, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney

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Biography contributed by Robert Devlin

Rhoderic Nelson Welch was born in Helensburgh, NSW to George and Dorothy Welch around 1894-1895. He was raised in Kempsey, a town on the North Coast of Sydney and enrolled at Sydney Technical High School in 1911, which was then a shared building with Sydney Technical College in Ultimo. Welch’s gift in construction-based subjects was recognised at a young age[i]. During High School, Welch displayed his talent in practical subjects such as Construction Drawing and Building Construction by earning honours for both subjects. As an 18 year old youth, he won 10 Australian Pounds (worth AUD$1,010.00 today) after creating a plan for Macleay Hall. During high school, Welch managed a part time apprenticeship with the company Welch & Moore in Kempsey for five years, interning as a carpenter and joiner.

 

After graduating high school with excellent marks, Welch enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces on the 21st of June 1916 at Victoria Barracks in Paddington. His service record was of lean build, 6 feet 3 inches in height with a 33-37 inch chest, meaning he was fit for service. He had signed up as a Gunner for the 5th Divisional Ammunition Column, but before leaving the country, he changed to the 116th Howitzer Brigade Battery as a Gunner on the 1st of September 1916. The A60 Aeneas Melbourne embarked from Sydney on the 30th of September 1916, carrying the whole Brigade Battery to Plymouth arriving on the 19th of November 1916, where he was straight away taken to Devonport military hospital for sickness[ii] and discharged soon after. From there, they proceeded to Folkestone on the 8th of January 1917 where they trained for a day at Shorncliffe Camp, then travelled to France’s coastline and marched to Etaples to supply reinforcements and Howitzers. On the 11th of March in the same year, Welch was admitted to a nearby military hospital because he had again become ill from fighting conditions. He rejoined his unit in France ten days later[iii]. By this time, he was weakened due to his illnesses, so he took leave to recover. When he came back to serve, he was discharged from the Forces for being permanently unfit to serve. He returned to Australia on the 16th of June 1919 and officially retired from service on the 4th of August 1919[iv].

 

Back in Sydney, Welch had focused on his construction career and begun one of his first architectural projects in 1921. On the 12th of April 1922, he married Miss Valerie Bennett Lane, the daughter of the Mayor and Mayoress of Kempsey[v]. The following year, they had their first daughter, Yvonne. In the same year, Welch’s father passed away. In the next two years, they had one more child, a son, Justin Welch. Welch continued to plan more building projects, including the restoration of a fire station, Port Macquarie Church and St. Thomas’ Church in 1922. Their local significance was so great, the local newspaper of Kempsey, The Macleay Chronicle, wished them luck on the front cover on their move to Pymble. When the Second World War was underway, Justin Welch passed the intermediate test at Sydney Grammar School and enlisted for the RAAF in 1943. In 1947, Valerie’s mother, Edith Lane, passed away at the age of 67, and then Rhoderic’s mother not long after in 1952. Welch and his family move one last time to Palm Beach.

 

Rhoderic Welch passed away on the 7th of June 1941[vi]. Rhoderic’s completed 2 years and 309 days of service overseas and earned 3 medals for this service: The Star Issuer, British War Medal and Victory Medal. His birthdate and life status is not clear and some questions about the missing pieces of his life remain unanswered.



Carlos Tse

Year 10 – Sydney Technical High School



[i] A trove Sydney Morning Herald Newspaper has a list of high achieving students, Welch was commended by his construction drawing and building construction honours in this article.

 

 
[ii] In Welch’s (Australian Imperial Forces) military papers, the entries indicate multiple occasions of illness and hospital admissions.

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=8380431&S=1&N=38&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=8380431&T=P&S=1

 
[iii] ibid
[iv] Ibid, and according to his AIF UNSW soldier profile

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=318217
[v] The Macleay Chronicle

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/174386464?searchTerm=rhoderic%20welch%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=

The article containing the wedding details
[vi]

Ryerson Index

http://ryersonindex.org/search.php

Obituary record of Welch’s death 07/06/69

Published 09/06/69

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