Lieutenant-Colonel Francis William Voelcker (9 October 1896 – 22 May 1954) was a British army officer and colonial administrator.

Biography

Born in London in 1896,The New Administrator of Western Samoa
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1945, p28 Voelcker attended

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

before joining the

Sandhurst Military Academy The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

in 1914. After the outbreak of

World War I 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 ...

he was assigned to the

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 196 ...

and went to fight in Belgium in 1915, where he was taken prisoner by the German army. During his three-and-a-half years as a POW, he escaped from three camps. After the war 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 ...

.Further Decotrations for the FMF
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', January 1945, p33 He continued his military service, initially serving in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1919, before going to

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

. He was subsequently transferred to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in 1921. Whilst there he married Norah Hodgson in 1924, with whom he had two daughters. In 1928 he left the army and moved to New Zealand, settling in

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is the largest town in Northland, New Zealand. It is a tourist destination north of Auckland and north of the northern region's largest city, Whangarei. It is sometimes called the Cradle of the Nation, as it was the site of th ...

, where he grew citrus fruits. However, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he re-entered military service,Lieutenant-Colonel F.W. Voelcker, DSO, OBE, MC
New Zealand Electronic Text Collection commanding the Third Battalion, Fiji Regiment during the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, du ...

. He was awarded the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

by the United States in 1944 for his actions during the campaign,Fiji Commanders Decorated
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1944, p16 and was later given the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

. In 1946 he was appointed

Administrator of Western Samoa This article lists the colonial governors of Samoa (or Western Samoa), from the establishment of German Samoa in 1900 until the independence of the Western Samoa Trust Territory in 1962. List (Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' co ...

. Following constitutional amendments, he became High Commissioner two years later. He was made a CBE in the

1949 Birthday Honours The 1949 King's Birthday Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made "on the occasion o ...

, before stepping down in 1949. After returning to New Zealand, he served in Korea as part of the

United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency The United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA) was an economic reconstruction program created by the United Nations to bolster war devastated South Korea. The proposal for the program was drafted by the United States in 1950 after victory b ...

until being invalided in 1953. He died at his home in Auckland on 22 May 1954 at the age of 58.Colonel F.W. Voelcker
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', July 1954, p141

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Voelcker, Francis William 1896 births Military personnel from London People educated at Shrewsbury School Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army personnel of World War I British emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand farmers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Military Cross Administrators of the Western Samoa Trust Territory Members of the Legislative Council of Samoa Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa 1954 deaths King's Shropshire Light Infantry soldiers British World War I prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany British military personnel of the Irish War of Independence Fijian military personnel of World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order United Nations military personnel