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Serving Dorset for over 110 years

John Albert Ross Welchman (Charlie)


messages of condolence

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  1. Darling dad, I miss your laugh, your sense of fun, your really bad jokes and inappropriate (but hilarious) comments. But most of all I miss your kindness and all the help you gave us over the years. You were such a big part of my life and family and the girls were so lucky to have you as a grandad. Life will be a little emptier for us but the green fields beyond and the great tank in the sky has gained a good un! We love you and miss you so much. ❤️

    Tracy Bowden
  2. Grandad, I’ll miss your humour and your laugh. All the times you drove me home from Wareham or picked me up from work and listened to your favourite blues music. I’ll miss how you never complained about anything and would do anything to help me and Charlotte. But most of all I’ll forever miss your inappropriate dirty jokes… I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone who can top them! I love you Grandad. XXXXX

    Emily
  3. Lots of love to the Welchman family from
    Mafs and Denise.
    What a remarkable man he was. You must all be very proud. Sadly missed. RIP.

    Matthew Chambers
  4. I think back to all the memories we had together when we were in the same troop in Hohne never to be forgotten RIP Charlie

    Ivor Lloyd
  5. Uncle John, such a generous and funny man. Always enjoyed your company. Thank you for being in my life for over 50 years. Going to miss you. Dorset won’t be quite the same without you. Love you.

    Nick Harrison
  6. Our deepest condolences to to Maureen, Tracy, Gary and the rest of the family. Remembering John as a warm, loving family man who always made me laugh and welcomed me into his home as best friend to Trace during our school years. Rest in peace. Lots of love Tracey and family. Xxxx

    Tracey Colquhoun
  7. Well, John you were known to all of us in the regiment as Charlie Welchman, for those of us who have had the pleasure in knowing and working with you over the years, there was no one better you could turn to for help and advice at any time than your good self. There was always a smile on your face and a nice chuckle when you laughed. At the many reunions when we met up especially after my own Dad passing away in 1997 you became my “Dad” and over these last 23 years since that time I always enjoyed our fairly regular phone calls and the cheeky sometimes rude things you would say to me. Since you passed away, I have been taken completely aback with all the lovely heartfelt comments from your “soldiers” around the world. Your wife Maureen, your daughter Tracy and son Gary and all other wider family circle members should be really proud and happy to have been part of your long, happy and active life. RIP my good friend as you join your many other friends in the Green Fields of Heaven.

    Jimmy Allan
  8. Our deepest condolences to to Maureen, Tracy, Gary and the rest of the family. RIP as you join your many other friends in the Green Fields. FN

    Carl Jenkin
  9. My heartfelt condolences to Charlie’s family. He was my SSM in Badger 2RTR from the time he arrived, during my time working as SQMS store man I spent a great deal of time in his company. I will remember Charlie with great fondness until I join him once more in the Green Fields where I will put a pint in the barrel for him in the Tankies Tavern.
    God Bless You Sir

    Steve ( Taff ) Bagshaw
  10. Condolences to all the family.
    From The Whitbread Family
    ( TWIZZLE ) 2 RTR

    Mrs F Whitbread
  11. Sincere condolences to all of the family. What beautiful photos of a very loved man and memories of a life well lived. Gary, you are the image of your dad.
    With very much love from Wyn.xx

    Wyn Chambers
  12. So very sad on Charlies passing, we will miss your Friendly smile.
    To the family please except our sincere condolences.
    Charie you will no doubt experience a special RTR reunion where you are now.
    Thanks for knowing you Charlie.

    Roger and Julie Lowless
  13. It was an honour to serve under, John( Charlie ) Welchman. My thoughts to go out to his family.

    Memories are everything.

    Stan Biddlecombe

    Stan Biddlecombe
  14. Dear Uncle John I feel so blessed to have spent special time with you however short it was.I believe it was your dream to find your sister Hildas family it was also my dream to find you.I will never forget the first time I saw you and gave you a hug and I did not want to let you go.
    We are so blessed to have Maureen,Tracy and Gary in our loves and I promise you we will keep in touch always.Love you John and you will be in my heart forever just like mum is.
    All my love
    Ann x

    Ann Meagher
  15. In memory of Uncle John. It was such a special moment to meet you and your family. As i didn’t know Mum Hilda Kathleen Welchman. I felt i had met her throught you. And although your funny emails to me were English humour and some times misunderstood I got to love them because you sent to me lots of love from Hilda Alan and Family 💕💜💛

    Hilda Pickles
  16. Heartfelt condolences to Gary and his dear mum. I’m sure Father and husband are sorely missed at this difficult time.
    I remember the early morning Mr Welchman driving us both to the airport to catch our flight to Brazil, huge feat as it was a frosty, dark winter morning, Thankyou Mr Welchman, I’ll never forget your kindness.
    I know you were deeply loved and will be a huge loss to the Welchman family,
    My love to you all.

    Emma Ryder
  17. Dear Charlie… we became friends at the time that I was sadly leaving the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment in the spring of ’76. You picked my brains (which didn’t take long…) regarding demob courses, as you were leaving the Regiment not long after me, and we stayed in touch ever since.

    Apart from all the happy memories Charlie, I have that most generous “Boots and Beret” trophy that you so kindly arranged, funded and presented to me at the Hereford reunion last October, just one short year ago, as a constant reminder of your generosity and friendship. Thanks for all those happy memories Charlie and rest in peace… naught to fear now mate. PS: Don’t forget to reserve me a bivvy space in the Green Fields…

    Phil Green
  18. Uncle John we really value the love and joy that you brought into all our lives. We were blessed that we found you and spent time together even though far too short. We will really miss all the video calls that we had with you and Maureen and I will miss all your emails and jokes that you would send me and that beautiful smile of yours and your great sense of humour. We will never forget the drive you took us on though the tank firing range, until I saw the targets and asked you if they where what I thought they were and you answered YES and said don’t worry if they start firing I will just drive faster and you where laughing. Thank you to Maureen, Tracy and Gary for taking such good care of you. Always in our hearts forever, until we meet again.
    Sending all our love
    Robert, Yvonne and family

    Robert Moss
  19. We remember you John as such a kind and lovely man, who was such a big part of so many shared family occasions over the years. We will truly miss your twinkly smile and of course your mischievous sense of humour.
    With all our love, Jo, Paul, Rebecca and Dan xxx

    Jo, Paul, Rebecca and Dan Stroud
  20. With great sadness at your lose of last old soldier of family. Time will make things easier but you never forget this great husband, dad and grandad stay strong auntie Maureen, Gary, tracy

    Simon & fiona

    Simon kent
  21. Hi Charlie. I have many fond memories of the time you were SSM Badger. Of the times we had one sided discussions in your office. Of the disagreements we had on the Football field. I will never forget you, until we meet again in the green fields Charlie RIP.
    My condolences to Maureen, Gary, Tracey and the rest of the Family. 🦡🦡🦡🦡

    Frank Kemp
  22. John, just a few words to say thank you for being the best father in law to me.

    I remember the fear and trepidation I felt before meeting you for the first time. I had recently become Tracy’s boyfriend and you had come home on leave from your work in Saudi Arabia. The prospect of meeting you, the ex Sgt Major terrified me. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it certainly wasn’t to see you laying on the sofa watching the 1984 European football championships!

    From that moment on, you have always been there for me as a second father and a friend. We have shared a love of sport together (I even forgive your telling me the result of every Grand Prix before I have watched it). We have played squash, snooker and skittles together and experienced the mutual suffering of regularly watching Dorchester Town FC all those years ago.

    I will miss the economy of our two sentence telephone conversations and your ability to find my best brandy and then drown it in coca cola. I will never forget our visits to the tank museum, especially the last Tank Fest which we visited in summer 2019. I still cannot believe how many people you knew.

    Most of all though, I will just miss you because you were the best. Using your own catchphrase, you were my “schoolboy champion” father in law.

    All my love

    Paul

    Paul Bowden
  23. I have known dear Charlie for so long since the Boys Squadron days, at the age of 15 years, as it meant so much to me when I walked into the Barrack room that first day and he was sat there. We have had a great friendship ever since. He was a top man in my book.

    I will miss, so much, the laughs we had together and the brilliantly organised Reunions.

    A remarkable and friendly man – RIP Charlie and my sincere condolences to Maureen, Gary, Tracy and family.

    Chris Fox and Rachel Meier
  24. John, There are not many people who can say that their daughter-in-law’s parents are their best friends, but that is what you and Maureen have become to us.

    Sharing all big family occasions with each other including Tracy and Paul’s and Jo and Paul’s weddings, and yours and our wedding anniversaries as they came around.

    Chris and I enjoyed the many army functions that you were good enough to invite us to and I was particularly impressed that you were the “go to man” when any decisions had to be made on the day.
    We were also really impressed that it was you that made the speech before or after the meal and that you did this so eloquently.

    You will be sadly missed.

    Rest in peace John.

    Love Ray and Chris

    Ray Bowden
  25. To a dear friend and great SSM safe journey will never forget you and will see you at the tankies tavern one day. My sincere condolences to all the family and I hope it all goes well today , god bless

    Colin Locke
  26. The first time we met in the summer of 1961 is still clear in my mind. You visited JLR RAC prior to us joining the regiment in Libya. You were there with the CO as a shining example of what ex boys from Bovington can achieve. When I arrived later you were my Troop Sgt and a lifelong friendship followed. My career took a different path later in the APTC but we stayed in touch mainly through Bob Marshall who was our APTCI in Libya and like you a highly qualified football referee with the army football association. I’d like to be a fly on the wall when you tell him about VAR !.

    Robbie Monk
  27. Hi all, Sorry I could not attend, but will be there in Spirit, well done to those Tankie’s that are attending, and to all John’s family, John will be in Great company in the Tankie’s Tavern. FN. Wolfie (RIP Charlie.)

    Wolfie Beerling
  28. Dear Grandad, saying goodbye to you for the last time today was hard to say the least. I’m so glad Emily and I were able to share a few memories of the many happy times we spent with you and see how many other people’s lives you’ve had an impact on. I’ll miss you and Nan making trips up to London to see me, the regular video calls to catch up and you being there at all the important moments in mine and Emily’s lives. Christmas this year won’t be the same without you and your great sense of humour but I’m so unbelievably grateful for the 30 christmases we have spent together. Love you always, Charlotte xxxx

    Charlotte Bowden

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