Welsh, Frederick S.

707059 Frederick Sylvian Welsh was born in Dublin, Ireland on 14 August 1893. His surname was often misspelled as Welch. He was living in Victoria, BC when he joined the 103rd Battalion on 6 March 1916. He was transferred to the 29th Battalion and served as a stretcher bearer. He was gassed three times, and was awarded to Military Medal with bar for caring for the wounded while under fire. In 1933, assisted by his mother Florence and wife Lucy, he opened a small cafe known as Welsh's Hamburgers on Esquimalt Road. It was a popular hangout for members of B Company, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) and other units stationed at the nearby Work Point Barracks. When the Second World War broke out, Welsh volunteered for service with the PPCLI but was rejected because of the effects of the gas attacks on his health. He sent gifts of tobacco to the troops overseas and corresponded with them. His mailing address was simply "Welsh's Hamburger Joint, opposite Half Way House, Esquimalt Road, Victoria, B.C." He displayed the correspondence in scrapbooks and on bulletin boards in the hamburger stand. He closed the business in 1947. He became an active member of the Victoria Branch of the PPCLI Association. He died in Victoria on 26 January, 1970.