Francis William George Leland
Francis William George Leland (1877-1943)
1945 Obituary [1]
Colonel FRANCIS WILLIAM GEORGE LELAND, C.B .E., D.S.O., whose death occurred on 22nd September 1943, had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Army Service Corps. He was born in 1877 and educated at Heildelberg and Trinity College, Dublin. Joining the Corps in 1900 he subsequently specialized in mechanical transport and attended courses at Aldershot. In 1910 he was appointed workshop officer to one of the companies of the R.A.S.C. at Aldershot and was responsible for the layout of entirely new machinery in specially erected workshops, being later made O.C. of an M.T. company.
In the following year he gained further practical training with the London General Omnibus Company. During 1912 and 1913 he was engaged on army manoeuvres in connection with special motor transport training. His next appointment was that of chief instructor, Aldershot, which he held jointly with the post of M.T. adviser to the O.C. service companies. In 1914 he became War Office Inspector for subsidized mechanical transport. He served in France in 1915, with the appointment of chief inspector at G.H.Q., and returned to England a few months later and became responsible for the organization of Kempton Park as a vehicle reception depot.
From 1916 to 1919 he was assistant director, and subsequently deputy director, of motor transport in Mesopotamia. A year later he took over the command of a company at Colchester with responsibility for the supervision and maintenance of a number of vehicles distributed over four counties. In 1937 he obtained temporary employment at the War Office. His final appointment, which he held from. June 1942 to March 1943, was that of Deputy Regional Transport Commissioner.
Colonel Leland was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1921.