Francis William Voelcker
Francis William Voelcker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| High Commissioner of Western Samoa | |
| In office 1948–1949 | |
| Succeeded by | Guy Powles |
| Administrator of Western Samoa | |
| In office 1946–1948 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred Turnbull |
| Personal details | |
| Born | London, United Kingdom 9 October 1896[1] |
| Died | 22 May 1954 (aged 57) Auckland, New Zealand |
Lieutenant-Colonel Francis William Voelcker CBE DSO MC (9 October 1896 – 22 May 1954) was a British army officer and colonial administrator.
Biography
[edit]Born in London in 1896,[2] Voelcker attended Shrewsbury School before joining the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1914.[1] After the outbreak of World War I he was assigned to the King's Shropshire Light Infantry[3] 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.[2]
After the war he was awarded the Military Cross.[4][5] He continued his military service, initially serving in Ireland in 1919, before going to Aden.[1] He was subsequently transferred to India in 1921.[1] Whilst there he married Norah Hodgson in 1924, with whom he had two daughters.[2]
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In 1928 he left the army and moved to New Zealand, settling in Kerikeri,[2] where he grew citrus fruits.[1] However, during World War II he re-entered military service with the New Zealand Military Forces, commanding the 34th Battalion for a time.[6] He subsequently commanded the Third Battalion, Fiji Regiment during the Solomon Islands campaign.[7] He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the United States in 1944 for his actions during the campaign,[8] and was later given the Distinguished Service Order.[4]
In 1946 he was appointed Administrator of Western Samoa. Following constitutional amendments, he became High Commissioner two years later. He was made a CBE in the 1949 Birthday Honours, before stepping down in 1949.[7] After returning to New Zealand, he served in Korea as part of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency until being invalided in 1953.[7]
He died at his home in Auckland on 22 May 1954 at the age of 58.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e F.W. Voelcker Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1946, p26
- ^ a b c d The New Administrator of Western Samoa Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1945, p28
- ^ "No. 28969". The London Gazette. 10 November 1914. p. 9142.
- ^ a b Further Decotrations for the FMF Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1945, p33
- ^ "No. 13558". The Edinburgh Gazette. 2 February 1920. p. 313.
- ^ Lieutenant-Colonel F.W. Voelcker, DSO, OBE, MC New Zealand Electronic Text Collection
- ^ a b c d Colonel F.W. Voelcker Pacific Islands Monthly, July 1954, p141
- ^ Fiji Commanders Decorated Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1944, p16
- 1896 births
- 1954 deaths
- 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
- 20th-century New Zealand farmers
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- Administrators of Western Samoa Trust Territory
- Members of the Legislative Council of Samoa
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa
- King's Shropshire Light Infantry officers
- 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