Francis Morphet Twisleton (17 February 1873 – 15 November 1917) was a New Zealand soldier who served in the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

and the

First World War 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 ...

and became well known for his writings of soldiering life. Born in England, he and his brother emigrated in New Zealand in 1895 and worked as farm labourers. In 1900, he joined the New Zealand military to serve in South Africa during the

. He wrote extensively of life as a soldier and many of his letters were published in newspapers. After his service ended, he began farming and also was active in the

Legion of Frontiersmen The Legion of Frontiersmen is a civilian organisation formed in Britain in 1905 by Roger Pocock, a former constable with the North-West Mounted Police and Boer War veteran. Prompted by fears of an impending invasion of Britain and the Empire, th ...

, eventually becoming its New Zealand commandant. During the First World War, he served at Gallipoli, on the Western Front and in Palestine. He died of wounds received in an action in Palestine.

Early life

Francis Morphet Twisleton, known as Frank, was born on 17 February 1873 in

Settle Settle or SETTLE may refer to: Places * Settle, Kentucky, United States * Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England ** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district Music * Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania * ''S ...

, Yorkshire, England to a farmer and his wife. After completing his education, he went farming in Yorkshire. In 1895, he emigrated in New Zealand with his brother Thomas, and worked his way around the country as a farm labourer.

Boer War

In January 1900 he joined the Second New Zealand Contingent, which was being raised for service in the

. He arrived in South Africa the following month. Thomas followed him to South Africa as part of the Fourth New Zealand Contingent but was killed in action in 1901. Frank served as a mounted soldier in the country until May 1901. He wrote home regularly and his letters were published in a number of newspapers in New Zealand. Following his return to New Zealand, these letters formed the basis of a book, entitled ''With the New Zealanders at the front: a story of twelve months' campaigning in South Africa''. In the book, he commented extensively on the competence of

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officers as well as the treatment of soldiers.

Interwar period

Twisleton based himself near Gisborne and took up farming. In 1905, he married Emily Mary Speedy, and the couple would go on to have two daughters. In 1911 he became involved with the

, an organisation which found favour with many veterans of the Boer War like Twisleton. It was run along military lines with imperialist sympathies with an aim to provide men with military skills should they be required for service in the British Empire. Twisleton was involved in organising and training of a squadron of horsemen for the Legion's Poverty Bay branch. He eventually was appointed the New Zealand commandant of the Legion.

First World War

After the Legion's offer of the services of two squadrons of horsemen was rejected by the New Zealand government following the outbreak of the First World War, Twisleton enlisted in the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. He was assigned to the Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment, with which he landed at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

nearly a month after the

Landing at Anzac Cove The landing at Anzac Cove on Sunday, 25 April 1915, also known as the landing at Gaba Tepe and, to the Turks, as the Arıburnu Battle, was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by the forces of the British Empire, which ...

on 25 April 1915. A lieutenant, he continued his letter writing habits of the Boer War, regularly describing life in the trenches in correspondence home. As with his previous writing, British officers were often the subject of criticism. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for his services during the Gallipoli Campaign, which saw him involved in the Battle of Hill 60. He was also

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 became ill with dysentery and was evacuated from Gallipoli in September 1915. After recovering his health, Twisleton was posted to the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, which was a mainly

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

unit but with a company drawn from the Otago Mounted Rifles. Promoted to captain, Twisleton served with the battalion on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

from March 1916 to August 1917. His wife and daughters had moved to England and he was able to regularly see them when on leave. In October 1917 he was transferred to the Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment, which was serving in the Palestine Theatre of Operations and shortly afterwards was promoted to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and given command of a squadron of horsemen. On 14 November 1917, he was involved in the

Battle of Ayun Kara The Battle of Ayun Kara (14 November 1917) was an engagement in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the First World War. The battle was fought between the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and a similar-sized rearguard from the Turkish 3rd ...

and was severely wounded. He died of his wounds the next day.Powles, 1922, p. 148 He is buried at Ramleh War Cemetery, in Israel. After Twisleton's death, the Legion of Frontiersmen recognised his services with the Pioneer Axe, its highest award. His widow was made an honorary lieutenant of the Legion.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Twisleton, Francis Morphet 1873 births 1917 deaths New Zealand military personnel killed in World War I People from Settle, North Yorkshire English emigrants to New Zealand