Brigadier Charles Joseph Weld (4 February 1893 – 1962) was an officer in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

interwar years In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Weld graduated from the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

on 24 August 1912 and was commissioned second lieutenant on the unattached list of the Indian Army. After a years attachment to a British regiment in India, he was posted to the

56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) The 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1849 as the 2nd Regiment of Punjab Infantry. It was designated as the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) in 1906 and became 2nd Battal ...

on 8 November 1913 and was promoted lieutenant 24 November 1914. During World War I he saw service in Egypt 30 November 1914 to 10 August 1915, Aden 15 August to 9 October 1915, Egypt again 14 October 1915 to 20 November 1915, Mesopotamia 4 December 1915 to 15 March 1916 when he was wounded. He returned to duty back in Mesopotamia 31 July 1916 to 30 December 1917. His final campaign was in Palestine 13 January 1918 to 31 October 1918. He was Mentioned in Despatches in the London Gazette 27 August 1918 and awarded the Military Cross (MC) in 1919 by which time he had been promoted captain. In 1929, after attending the

Staff College, Quetta ( ''romanized'': Pir Sho Biyamooz Saadi)English: Grow old, learning Saadi ur, سیکھتے ہوئے عمر رسیدہ ہو جاؤ، سعدی , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'' in Deolali, British India) , closed ...

from 1927 to 1928, he was promoted major and after two staff postings (as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General and Assistant Military Secretary) he was appointed second in command of the 2nd battalion

13th Frontier Force Rifles The 13th Frontier Force Rifles was part of the British Indian Army, and after 1947, Pakistan Army. It was formed in 1922 by amalgamation of five existing regiments and consisted of five regular battalions. History The 13th Frontier Force Rifle ...

(which is what the 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force) he been renamed in the 1922 reforms) on 22 April 1934. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel 22 January 1936 and was appointed the commanding officer of the 2nd battalion

. For his services in Waziristan on the North West Frontier of India during 1936-37 he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He was appointed officiating General Staff Officer, 1st grade for Waziristan District on 9 March 1938, an appointment that was made permanent on 17 September 1938. It was a post he was to hold until 22 April 1940. He was promoted brevet Colonel 17 September 1938 and to full colonel in December 1939, with seniority from 17 September 1938. Appointed temporary brigadier 23 April 1940. Weld commanded the 21st Indian Brigade of the

Indian 10th Infantry Division The 10th Indian Infantry Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the ...

(part of

Iraqforce Iraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II. Background During World War I, the British Army defeated the Ottoman Army in the Middle Eas ...

) during the

Anglo-Iraqi War The Anglo-Iraqi War was a British-led Allied military campaign during the Second World War against the Kingdom of Iraq under Rashid Gaylani, who had seized power in the 1941 Iraqi coup d'état, with assistance from Germany and Italy. The c ...

and the

Syria–Lebanon campaign The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Syria and Lebanon (then controlled by Vichy France) in June and July 1941, during the Second World War. The French had ceded autonomy to Syria in Septembe ...

. 21st Indian Brigade was attached to ''Hazelforce'' during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia and Weld was

for his services in Persia and Iraq. On 18 May 1942, Weld was promoted to local Major-General. He was appointed General Officer Commanding,

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

from 18 May to 28 August 1942. From 23 October 1943 to 14 August 1945 Weld held the honorary appointment of Aide-de-camp to the King. Weld was appointed a Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in January 1945 when commanding the Rawalpindi Area as a temporary brigadier and retired from the army 15 August 1946 with the substantive rank of colonel but was accorded the honorary rank of brigadier.

Command history

* 1938–1940: General Staff Officer 1, Waziristan District,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

* 1940–1942: Commanding Officer, 21st Indian Brigade,

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

* 1942: General Officer Commanding,

* 1942: General Officer Commanding, XXV Indian Corps * 1943: District Officer Commanding,

Meerut District Meerut district, is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is also a part of the Meerut division. The administrative head of district of Meerut is a District Magistrate w ...

, India * 1943–1945: Commanding Officer, Rawalpindi Area, India * 1945–1946: Indian Army Liaison Officer to Indian Office * 1946: Retired with honorary rank of Brigadier

References

Bibliography

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weld, Charles Joseph 1893 births 1962 deaths Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Graduates of the Staff College, Quetta British Indian Army generals

Command history

See also

References

Bibliography

External links