[Middlesex Regiment] Martin Pryce Weedon
Description:
Born:
29 April 1915, Alexandria, Egypt
Death:
9 March 1977, Frilsham, Berkshire
Pre-war:
Martin was born in the British Protectorate of Egypt, where his father had been seconded to the Egyptian Civil Service as Head of Taxation. His mother was the daughter of the well known watercolour artist Augustus Walford Weedon. Weedon attended primary school there before going to Orley Farm Prep school, at the foot of Harrow Hill, then Druries House, Harrow School. He was a keen sportsman (house cricket and Harrow football), and went on to Sandhurst in the mid 1930s (with Tony Hewitt and Chris Man). He was commissioned on 31 January 1935, and joined the 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regiment at Colchester. On 6 March 1936, he was posted to the 1st Battalion in Singapore. There he met Liz Hayley Bell, youngest daughter of Colonel Hayley Bell who was in security there. When the Middlesex was transferred in 1937 to Hong Kong, Weedon requested leave of absence. His ulterior motive, expressly forbidden by his Commanding Officer, was to marry Liz who was by now back in England. Returning to Hong Kong as man and wife, they were not allowed to live together as the army didn’t recognize the marriage. However, by early 1940 Liz was pregnant and in July 1940 was evacuated by ship – with other British wives and children - to Australia. When they reached Manila, she jumped ship and returned to the Singapore she knew. There, on 28 October 1940, their son Mark was born. On 27 February 1941 Weedon was promoted to Temporary Captain.
Wartime:
Weedon commanded B Company, which manned pillboxes 21 to 30 protecting the Stanley peninsular. When the Japanese broke through the lines north of Stanley, B Company came under heavy pressure. Each pillbox was fought over as the line was driven south. When the commander of D Company was killed, Weedon took over that company too. Early Christmas morning - seeing the Japanese in the copse by the prep school - Weedon launched a counter-attack to drive them out, attacking from the east, forcing them into a Chinese shrine which they attacked with grenades. Lieutenant Gurth Blackaby and three men were killed, and Weedon was wounded in the right shoulder. Weedon spent the remainder of the war as a POW, first in Shamshuipo, then Argyle Street, then – via the sinking of the Lisbon Maru – in Japan itself.
Post-war:
Weedon returned from Japan to the UK late in 1945, bearing some Mikimoto pearls he had demanded from a local shop, and the POW camp commandant’s samurai sword. Since such few possessions were precious to ex-FEPOWs, he carried this sword around everywhere, and kept it beside the bed on his return – a major cause of friction when he and Liz tried, but understandably failed (both had had wartime affairs) – to revive their marriage. They were divorced in 1946, and Weedon’s hidden diary was published the same year as “Guest of an Emperor”. He left the army, qualified as a barrister-at-law at Gray’s Inn in London, and worked as a legal adviser to the energy company William Cory. In 1948 he married Jean Leslie (who had been introduced to him by Liz, they had both been in the Wrens), and they went on to have a son and daughter, while moving from job to job and house to house. This included a period when Weedon worked for Rhodesian Selection Trust (mining, in Lusaka then Salisbury). Later, he went into education as Clerk to the Governors of the Greycoat Foundation (a super-bursar to five schools). He smoked a pipe, loved rough shooting, gardening, and country walks and pursuits. Retiring aged 60, in poor health, Martin mysteriously died two years later. Although always meticulously safe with a gun, he was found shot through his body by a fence near ‘The Old School House’. The coroner returned an open verdict, since suicide or foul play could not be proven. But his family knew he was unhappy, was drinking more than he should (though not an alcoholic), and had discussed a separation with Jean. In common with many ex-FEPOWs, the wartime experience had taken a lot out of him.
Awards:
MiD, MC
Further reading:
Guest of an Emperor, Martin Weedon
Born:
29 April 1915, Alexandria, Egypt
Death:
9 March 1977, Frilsham, Berkshire
Pre-war:
Martin was born in the British Protectorate of Egypt, where his father had been seconded to the Egyptian Civil Service as Head of Taxation. His mother was the daughter of the well known watercolour artist Augustus Walford Weedon. Weedon attended primary school there before going to Orley Farm Prep school, at the foot of Harrow Hill, then Druries House, Harrow School. He was a keen sportsman (house cricket and Harrow football), and went on to Sandhurst in the mid 1930s (with Tony Hewitt and Chris Man). He was commissioned on 31 January 1935, and joined the 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regiment at Colchester. On 6 March 1936, he was posted to the 1st Battalion in Singapore. There he met Liz Hayley Bell, youngest daughter of Colonel Hayley Bell who was in security there. When the Middlesex was transferred in 1937 to Hong Kong, Weedon requested leave of absence. His ulterior motive, expressly forbidden by his Commanding Officer, was to marry Liz who was by now back in England. Returning to Hong Kong as man and wife, they were not allowed to live together as the army didn’t recognize the marriage. However, by early 1940 Liz was pregnant and in July 1940 was evacuated by ship – with other British wives and children - to Australia. When they reached Manila, she jumped ship and returned to the Singapore she knew. There, on 28 October 1940, their son Mark was born. On 27 February 1941 Weedon was promoted to Temporary Captain.
Wartime:
Weedon commanded B Company, which manned pillboxes 21 to 30 protecting the Stanley peninsular. When the Japanese broke through the lines north of Stanley, B Company came under heavy pressure. Each pillbox was fought over as the line was driven south. When the commander of D Company was killed, Weedon took over that company too. Early Christmas morning - seeing the Japanese in the copse by the prep school - Weedon launched a counter-attack to drive them out, attacking from the east, forcing them into a Chinese shrine which they attacked with grenades. Lieutenant Gurth Blackaby and three men were killed, and Weedon was wounded in the right shoulder. Weedon spent the remainder of the war as a POW, first in Shamshuipo, then Argyle Street, then – via the sinking of the Lisbon Maru – in Japan itself.
Post-war:
Weedon returned from Japan to the UK late in 1945, bearing some Mikimoto pearls he had demanded from a local shop, and the POW camp commandant’s samurai sword. Since such few possessions were precious to ex-FEPOWs, he carried this sword around everywhere, and kept it beside the bed on his return – a major cause of friction when he and Liz tried, but understandably failed (both had had wartime affairs) – to revive their marriage. They were divorced in 1946, and Weedon’s hidden diary was published the same year as “Guest of an Emperor”. He left the army, qualified as a barrister-at-law at Gray’s Inn in London, and worked as a legal adviser to the energy company William Cory. In 1948 he married Jean Leslie (who had been introduced to him by Liz, they had both been in the Wrens), and they went on to have a son and daughter, while moving from job to job and house to house. This included a period when Weedon worked for Rhodesian Selection Trust (mining, in Lusaka then Salisbury). Later, he went into education as Clerk to the Governors of the Greycoat Foundation (a super-bursar to five schools). He smoked a pipe, loved rough shooting, gardening, and country walks and pursuits. Retiring aged 60, in poor health, Martin mysteriously died two years later. Although always meticulously safe with a gun, he was found shot through his body by a fence near ‘The Old School House’. The coroner returned an open verdict, since suicide or foul play could not be proven. But his family knew he was unhappy, was drinking more than he should (though not an alcoholic), and had discussed a separation with Jean. In common with many ex-FEPOWs, the wartime experience had taken a lot out of him.
Awards:
MiD, MC
Further reading:
Guest of an Emperor, Martin Weedon
Sources: Photo: Tong Banham
