Harold Francis Weston was born in Wandsworth, London on 8 August 1893.
He migrated to Australia alone in 1911, though the rest of his family soon followed. He and his older brother Charles had dominant roles in the Northumberland and Durham team before the war, both playing the the 1914 Dockerty Cup final.
His war record is interesting. Longer than most it tells the story of illness (flat feet, Neurasthenia and palpitations) and injury (serious shell concussion). Described at one point as being “unequal to physical strain” and “nervy”, Weston comes across as a sickly individual, which possibly contradicts the qualities he displayed on the football field.
After his return as an invalid he appears to have been the victim of mistaken identity or a practical joke. Some of his “comrades” told him that his name had been read out on parade indicating that he had been awarded a DCM. He wrote a letter of enquiry which was met with bemusement.
He resumed playing, with Spotswood in 1919, returning to Northumberland and Durham in 1920. 1922 found him playing once more for Spotswood until 1924 and representing Victoria in the same year. In 1925 he moved to Brunswick United accompanied by his brother Charles. By 1939 he had returned to England while the rest of his family remained in Australia.
He died on 29 September 1983 in Morecambe, Lancashire, at the age of 90.