Donald James Wellings

Several wonderful drawings of some of Uley’s features have been produced by Don Wellings and have appeared in past Uley books. A native of Washington State (born 26/7/23), Don Wellings is a former American Air Force colonel who retired from the military in 1974 and who spent some years living in Uley. Trained initially as a navigator, Lt. Donald Wellings flew 30 missions with the 323rd Squadron at Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire. It was a major airfield and part of the US eighth air force during WWII. It was home to squadrons of B17 ‘Flying Fortress’ bombers.

On 22nd March 1945 he married Lt. Martha Anne Viola a surgical nurse with the 163rd General Hospital, their honeymoon in Devon being enabled by a flight on Flying Fortress B-17 S/N 43-38939. On returning to the USA, he re-trained as a pilot, flying P-51's and P80's with the 56th Fighter Group, based at Selfridge Field, Michigan. He undertook tours of duty in Hawaii, Alaska and Fairford, England, plus two internal postings with the Pentagon in Washington DC during his time in the service. Serving in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, he was awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) and the MSM (Meritorious Service Medal) for outstanding USAF service. In one of those tours of duty in the early 1950s, he was stationed for three years at RAF Fairford near Cirencester, a major airfield that still used today as a USAF base at strategic times and home to the annual Royal Air Tattoo, the world’s largest international airshow. During his time at Fairford, he fell in love with the Cotswolds and was to return later in his life,

By the early 1970s, he had been promoted to the rank of Colonel, but left the USAF in 1974 to enrol and complete a fine arts course at Utah State University. In 1978, he came back to Gloucestershire to pursue his career as an artist. He and his wife Martha rented a cottage from Dr Maurice Wright in the grounds of Mill House, a converted water mill in the centre of the village for 4½ years. Initially, he produced paintings of US aircraft, which were sold through a gallery in Nailsworth, but a few months after he arrived, he turned to landscape painting and drawing. His landscapes soon became popular and today are regarded as some of the finest works of art portraying the valley. One of his many local drawings is shown below. It captures the quaintness of our lovely Cotswold village extremely well.

Looking west down The Street and the Ewelme Valley from outside St Giles Church

Col. Wellings was struck by the green-ness of the Uley valley juxtaposed against the golden stonework of the village buildings. The Uley Society book of Uley history, which was published in 1983, featured his painting of St Giles Church in winter on the front cover. Below, is the comparison of a recent photograph of Owlpen in autumn, with Don’s 1970s rendition of the same view alongside.

On returning to North America, he spent his final years drawing and painting before passing away on 23/10/2002. He is buried at the Tahoma National Cemetery in King County WA

Written by Margaret Groom & Richard Furness