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 (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

before joining the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

in 1914. After the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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, World War II and Korea ...

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 until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

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

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in 1919, before going to

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

. He was subsequently transferred to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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 a town in the Bay of Islands, in the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the head of Kerikeri Inlet, a northwestern arm of the Bay of Islands, where fresh water of the Kerikeri River enters the Paci ...

, where he grew citrus fruits. However, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he re-entered military service with the

New Zealand Military Forces The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

, commanding the 34th Battalion for a time.Lieutenant-Colonel F.W. Voelcker, DSO, OBE, MC
New Zealand Electronic Text Collection He subsequently commanded the Third Battalion, Fiji Regiment during the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major military campaign, campaign of the Pacific War during World War II. The campaign began with the Empire of Japan, Japanese seizure of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, B ...

. He was awarded the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

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 awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

. 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. After returning to New Zealand, he served in Korea as part of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency 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 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