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.

Life He was born in Aberavon, West Glamorgan,. Retrieved 24 May 2013. and educated at Berkhamsted School and Clare College, Cambridge, where he read history. 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not strictly speaking part of the Carey family saga but closely connected to it in terms of subject matter, remained unpublished at the time of his death.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.

Carey family saga Books +Carey Family Books 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? – 1346 Edward 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 – 1586 Elizabeth 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 – 1648 English Civil War / Royalists 6 1956 Captain of Dragoons Charles Carey (later 6th Earl) John Carey (cousin, killed 1704), Vicomte d'Assailly 1703 – 1704 Duke of Marlborough / Battle of Blenheim 7 1958 Mohawk Valley Alan Carey Charles Carey (6th Earl, father), Anne Carey (sister) 1755 – 1759 French 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 – 1794 Revolutionary 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 – 1812 Duke of Wellington / Peninsular War 10 2018 The Road to Waterloo James Carey (later 9th Earl) Richard Carey (8th Earl, father) 1815 Battle 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 – 1855 Italian nationalism / Crimean War 12 1976 Ensign Carey William Carey (killed 1857, Nasirabad, Indian Mutiny) John Carey (father), Nicholas Carey (uncle), Edward Carey (brother) 1853 – 1857 Indian Mutiny / Bengal Presidency 13 1972 Tank Commander John Carey Peter Carey (father) 1914 – 1917 World War I / The Great War

Family members +Carey Family Members Name Born Died Books Military serviceAlan17351770Mohawk ValleyAndrew1905 Nicholas CareyAnne17391814Mohawk Valley, Escape from France, Captain of FootBernard (10th Earl)1902 Nicholas CareyCaptain, Dragoons or Dragoon GuardsCharles (6th Earl)16811767Captain of Dragoons, Mohawk ValleyMajor, Cadogan's DragoonsCharles (11th Earl)1936Christopher17881812Captain of FootCaptain, 43rd Light InfantryDenzil1644 For the KingEdward (1st Earl)1594 The Hawk, The GalleonEdward (3rd Earl)1655 For the KingEdward1911 Ensign CareyCaptain, Royal NavyGeorge (7th Earl)17341800Escape from FranceHarry (2nd Earl)1630 The Hawk, The GalleonHenry17751853James The HawkJames (5th Earl)1704James (9th Earl)1796/1798?1868 Nicholas Carey, The Road to WaterlooCornet, 30th Light DragoonsJohn1704Captain of DragoonsJohn1885 Nicholas Carey, Ensign CareyAdmiral, Royal NavyJohnAlive in 1976Tank CommanderGeneral, West Glamorgan Regiment (fictional, ex-110th Foot), Tank CorpsLawrence1693Margaret The HawkMary The HawkMary1937Matthew1590Neil (4th Earl)16321690 For the KingNicholas1910 Nicholas Carey, Ensign CareyColonel, 110th Foot (fictional)Oliver1798Peter17801850Captain of FootPeter1940Tank CommanderAdmiral, Royal NavyRichard (8th Earl)17701839Escape from France, Captain of Foot, The Road to WaterlooLieutenant-Colonel, 3rd Dragoon GuardsRobert1870 Nicholas CareyRupert17371807Escape from FranceWilliam1692William1857Ensign CareyEnsign, 84th Bengal Native Infantry (fictional)

Works

Books The Black Car Mystery (1950) The Clock Stood Still (1951) The Gauntlet (1951) Knight Crusader † (1954) —winner of the Carnegie Medal Sker House (novel) (1955) (writing as Ronald Felton) (based on Sker House) Ferdinand Magellan (1955) Captain of Dragoons † (1956) "The Long Bow" (1957, booklet consisting of the abridged first three chapters of Bowman of Crécy) Mohawk Valley † (1958) Captain of Foot † (1959) Escape from France † (1960) For the King † (1961) Nicholas Carey † (1963) Bowman of Crécy † (1966) The Hawk † (1967) Sun of York (1970) The Galleon † (1971) Tank Commander † (1972) Zulu Warrior (1974) Ensign Carey † (1976) The Road to Waterloo † (2018) (posthumous)

† indicates a book in the Carey family series

Short stories

"The Kings Hunt" (1963), Swift Annual 1963 "The Joust" (1968), Miscellany Five, edited by Edward Blishen "The King's Hunt" (1970), Thrilling Stories of the Past for Boys, edited by Eric Duthie

Critical reception Pamela Cleaver describes Ronald Welch as the best children's writer on military history and battles, adding that he does not glorify war but makes it clear that discomfort, wounds and death are as much a part of it as comradeship and adventure. She characterizes his books as "extremely well-researched, full of authentic detail and always excitingly plotted"."Ronald Welch" in Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, Daniel L. Kirkpatrick (editor), St. Martin's Press, London, 1978

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