Lieutenant Colonel William Russell Willoughby Weallens

 

 

Lieutenant Colonel William Russell Willoughby Weallens

 1896-1971

 Mess Dress, c. 1936

 

 Weallens, born in Secunderabad, India, was the son of Colonel William Weallens, late of the The Northamptonshire Regiment. He was gazetted to the British Indian Army on December 23, 1914, and joined the 4th Prince of Wale’s Own Gurkha Rifles from the Unattached List on February 28, 1915. Originally serving with the 1st Battalion, Weallens saw action in France and at Gallipoli. The 4th Gurkha Rifles comprised part of the 3rd (Lahore) Division, which was sent to Mesopotamia in April of 1916. Weallens was then transferred to the 2nd Battalion as adjutant with the rank of acting lieutenant. His lieutenancy was later ante-dated to December 23, 1915, and he was made a temporary captain in 1917, commanding a company. He was made a permanent captain in 1918 and returned to the 1st Battalion in 1927. Weallens was promoted to major in 1932 and lieutenant colonel in 1940, once again with the 2nd Battalion. He went with the 2nd Battalion to Iraq in 1941 and subsequently served in North Africa. Weallens was captured by the Germans in November of 1942 during the Second Battle of El Alamein and was interned at Oflag 79, Brunswick, Lower Saxony. He was twice Mentioned in Despatches during the Second World War. Weallens retired from the service on April 26, 1946.