In memoriam
Second Lieutenant Leopold George Weston
Leopold George Weston was born at Salisbury, Wiltshire, on 16 March 1881, son of bank manager Arthur Henry Weston and his wife Elizabeth Ann. He was educated at Christ's Hospital School and Salisbury School before joining the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars in 1900, serving with that regiment until 1907.
Weston joined the Canadian army on 11 November 1914 and was promoted to sergeant on 25 January 1915. On 23 June he was posted to Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), at Camp Sewell, Manitoba (No.6013). He landed in France with his regiment on 1 December that year. He reverted to the rank of private at his own request on 13 December, but on 8 May 1916 was promoted to lance corporal. During June and July he spent some time in hospital recovering from a back injury caused by a riding accident.
On 9 August 1916 Weston applied for a commission in the British cavalry and was sent to No.2 Cavalry Cadet Squadron at Kildare for training. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant on 21 December 1916 and posted to the 10th Reserve Cavalry Regiment. Soon after he transferred to the 2nd Reserve Cavalry Regiment and was sent to France to join the 1st North Irish Horse Regiment.
On 5 September 1917 2nd Lieutenant Weston faced a General Court Martial at Poperinghe, charged with drunkenness while on active service. He was found guilty, and despite the fact that when he committed the offence he had not been on duty and had no previous offences against his name, Weston was sentenced to be dismissed from the service. This was promulgated on 22 September.
Sent back to England, he lived at the home of his younger brother Arthur Dudley and Arthur's wife Gertrude at Cliftonville, New Wokingham Road, Crowthorne, Berkshire. Although dismissed from the service, Weston was now liable to be conscripted as an ordinary soldier. Instead, on 24 November 1917 he enlisted as a gunner in the Canadian Field Artillery at Milford Camp, Whitley, Surrey (No.1263308).
On 13 February 1918 he embarked for France, where he was posted to the 5th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery.
On 2 September 1918 the 5th Brigade was assisting the infantry's advance near Buissy (between Arras and Cambrai). That day they sustained one officer and nine men wounded, and two killed. Weston was one of the wounded, with a badly fractured left thigh-bone. He was evacuated to No.33 Casualty Clearing Station at Ligny St Flochel, but died the following day.
He was buried in the Ligny-St.Flochel British Cemetery, Averdoingt, Pas de Calais, France, grave III F.25. His gravestone inscription reads:
1263308 GUNNER
L. G. WESTON
CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY
3RD SEPTEMBER 1918
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
A BROTHER
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Image kindly provided by Steve Rogers, Project Co-ordinator of the The War Graves Photographic Project, www.twgpp.org.