Ronald Oliver Felton TD (14 December 1909 – 5 February 1982), who wrote under the pseudonym Ronald Welch, was a Welsh novelist. He is best known for children's historical fiction. He won the 1956 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association for the year's best children's book by a British author, for Knight Crusader, the first in his so-called Carey Family series of novels.
He was born in Aberavon, West Glamorgan.[1] He was teaching at Bedford Modern School when the Second World War broke out. In 1940 he was commissioned lieutenant in the Welch Regiment, to which his pen name refers. He reached the rank of major and stayed in the Territorial Army after the war. He was for many years headmaster of Okehampton Grammar School in Devon.
Welch's final work, The Road to Waterloo, not strictly speaking part of the Carey family saga but closely connected to it in terms of subject matter, remained unpublished at the time of his death. It was not until 2018 that it was discovered among his papers and published in a special edition by Smith Settle.[2]
| Reading order | Pub. Date | Book | Main Characters | Other characters | Setting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1954 | Knight Crusader | Phillip d'Aubigny | Hugo d'Aubigny (father, killed 1187, Battle of Hattin), Gilbert d'Assailly | 1186 – 1192?Third Crusade | |
| 2 | 1966 | Bowman of Crécy | Hugh Fletcher | Sir John Carey (not listed in family trees), William Assailly | 1343? – 1346Edward III / Hundred Years War / Crecy | |
| 3 | 1967 | The Hawk | Harry Carey (later 2nd Earl) | Edward Carey (1st Earl, father), James Carey (uncle), Mary Carey (sister), Margaret Carey (sister) | 1584 – 1586Elizabeth I | |
| 4 | 1971 | The Galleon | Robert Penderyn | Edward Carey (1st Earl of Aubigny), Harry Carey | 1583–1586?Elizabeth I | |
| 5 | 1961 | For the King | Neil Carey (later 4th Earl) | Edward Carey (3rd Earl, father), Denzil Carey (brother, killed 1644, Marston Moor) | 1642 – 1648English Civil War / Royalists | |
| 6 | 1956 | Captain of Dragoons | Charles Carey (later 6th Earl) | John Carey (cousin, killed 1704),Vicomte d'Assailly | 1703 – 1704Duke of Marlborough / Battle of Blenheim | |
| 7 | 1958 | Mohawk Valley | Alan Carey | Charles Carey (6th Earl, father), Anne Carey (sister) | 1755 – 1759French and Indian War / General Wolfe / Quebec / Seven Years' War | |
| 8 | 1960 | Escape From France | Richard Carey (later 8th Earl) | George Carey (7th Earl, father), Anne Standish (Carey) (aunt), Jeffery Standish (cousin, killed 1794), Rupert Carey (uncle), Christopher Carey (cousin), Peter Carey (cousin)Quentin d'Assailly, Amelie d'Assailly, Armand d'Assailly, Louise d'Assailly (later Lady Aubigny) | 1791 – 1794Revolutionary France | |
| 9 | 1959 | Captain of Foot | Christopher Carey | Richard Carey (8th Earl, cousin), Peter Carey (brother), Anne Standish (Carey) (aunt)Louise Aubigny (d'Assailly) | 1808 – 1812Duke of Wellington / Peninsular War | |
| 10 | 2018 | The Road to Waterloo | James Carey (later 9th Earl) | Richard Carey (8th Earl, father) | 1815Battle of Quatre Bras | |
| 11 | 1963 | Nicholas Carey | Nicholas Carey | James Carey (9th Earl, cousin), Robert Carey (cousin), Bernard Carey (later 10th Earl, cousin), Andrew Carey (cousin), John Carey (brother),Felix d'Assailly, Louise Aubigny (d'Assailly) | 1853 – 1855Italian nationalism / Crimean War | |
| 12 | 1976 | Ensign Carey | William Carey(killed 1857, Nasirabad, Indian Mutiny) | John Carey (father), Nicholas Carey (uncle), Edward Carey (brother) | 1853 – 1857Indian Mutiny / Bengal Presidency | |
| 13 | 1972 | Tank Commander | John Carey | Peter Carey (father) | 1914 – 1917World War I / The Great War |
| Name | Born | Died | Books | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan | 1735 | 1770 | Mohawk Valley | |
| Andrew | 1905 | Nicholas Carey | ||
| Anne | 1739 | 1814 | Mohawk Valley, Escape from France, Captain of Foot | |
| Bernard(10th Earl) | 1902 | Nicholas Carey | ||
| Charles(6th Earl) | 1681 | 1767 | Captain of Dragoons, Mohawk Valley | |
| Charles(11th Earl) | 1936 | |||
| Christopher | 1788 | 1812 | Captain of Foot | |
| Denzil | 1644 | For the King | ||
| Edward(1st Earl) | 1594 | The Hawk, The Galleon | ||
| Edward(3rd Earl) | 1655 | For the King | ||
| Edward | 1911 | Ensign Carey | ||
| George(7th Earl) | 1734 | 1800 | Escape from France | |
| Harry(2nd Earl) | 1630 | The Hawk, The Galleon | ||
| Henry | 1775 | 1853 | ||
| James | The Hawk | |||
| James(5th Earl) | 1704 | |||
| James(9th Earl) | 1796/1798? | 1868 | Nicholas Carey, The Road to Waterloo | |
| John | 1704 | Captain of Dragoons | ||
| John | 1885 | Nicholas Carey, Ensign Carey | ||
| John | Alive in 1976 | Tank Commander | ||
| Lawrence | 1693 | |||
| Margaret | The Hawk | |||
| Mary | The Hawk | |||
| Mary | 1937 | |||
| Matthew | 1590 | |||
| Neil(4th Earl) | 1632 | 1690 | For the King | |
| Nicholas | 1910 | Nicholas Carey, Ensign Carey | ||
| Oliver | 1798 | |||
| Peter | 1780 | 1850 | Captain of Foot | |
| Peter | 1940 | Tank Commander | ||
| Richard(8th Earl) | 1770 | 1839 | Escape from France, Captain of Foot,The Road to Waterloo | |
| Robert | 1870 | Nicholas Carey | ||
| Rupert | 1737 | 1807 | Escape from France | |
| William | 1692 | |||
| William | 1857 | Ensign Carey |
| Name | Rank | Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard(10th Earl) | Captain | Dragoons or Dragoon Guards(Heavy Cavalry) (probably Dragoon Guards, like Richard) | |
| Charles(6th Earl) | Major | Cadogan's Dragoons | |
| Christopher | Captain | 43rd Light Infantry | |
| Edward | Captain | Royal Navy | |
| James(9th Earl) | Cornet | 30th Light Dragoons | |
| John | Admiral | Royal Navy | |
| John | General | West Glamorgan Regiment (fictional, ex 110th Foot),Tank Corps | |
| Nicholas | Colonel | 110th Foot (fictional) | |
| Peter | Admiral | Royal Navy | |
| Richard(8th Earl) | Lieutenant-Colonel | 3rd Dragoon Guards | |
| William | Ensign | 84th Bengal Native Infantry(fictional) |
† indicates a book in the Carey family series