John Roberts Frend

Lt-Col. H.W. Weldon

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Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Weldon
2nd Bn., Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

The Regiment has unfortunately lost some most valuable officers … all of whom had done splendid work, which would have brought recognition had they been fortunate enough to survive.

(Weldon to Maj. Gen. Prior in Whitton, The History of the Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment, vol. 2, 174)

Born in Dublin on 2 November 1878, Henry Walter Weldon was commissioned a lieutenant in 1900 and served in South Africa. He was adjutant for the 1st Leinsters and temporarily took command after Second Ypres following the death of Lieutenant-Colonel C. Conyers on 12 May 1915. He served with the battalion now under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel J.D. Mather on the Salonika front in 1916.

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Maj. Frend

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Major J.R. Frend
2nd Bn., Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)

Heavy hostile shelling of TEMPLEUX QUARRIES commenced about 11:30am until 12:30pm. Extremely accurate. Lt. Col. Murphy, DSO, MC [and others] were in HQ mess attending to wounded when a shell dropped right in their midst killing the CO … Shelling was kept up at intervals of 50 minutes throughout the day & night. Major J.R. Frend assumed command of Bn. at 1 pm.

(2nd Bn. Leinster Regiment War Diary, 6 Nov 1917)

Following the death of Lieutenant-Colonel A.D. Murphy, Major John Roberts Frend took command of the 2nd Leinsters. He was born on 7 February 1883 in Cloghjordan, Tipperary. He served in the Boer War and joined the Leinster Regiment before emigrating to Australia in 1909. On the outbreak of the Great War, he rejoined his old regiment and served with the 2nd Leinsters in France.

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