Friend worked in London as a bookbinder, specialising in binding account books using vellum.
In 1909, Friend was elected as general secretary of the vellum binders, and he championed a merger between his union, the Bookbinders and Machine Rulers' Consolidated Union, the Society of Day-working Bookbinders of London, Westminster, etc and the London Consolidated Society of Journeymen Bookbinders.
This occurred at the start of January 1911, with the formation of the National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers, and Friend becoming full-time secretary of its vellum binders' branch.
He immediately became known as a critical voice in the union, arguing that the union's campaign for shorter working hours was poorly co-ordinated, and complaining that the letterpress branches had not taken part in action, as they already had a 48-hour week.
[3] Friend retired late in 1940, and was the first employee of the NUPBPW to receive a pension from the union.