Francis William Voelcker
High Commissioner of Western Samoa
In office
1948–1949
Succeeded byGuy Powles
Administrator of Western Samoa
In office
1946–1948
Preceded byAlfred Turnbull
Personal details
BornLondon, United Kingdom
9 October 1896[1]
Died22 May 1954(1954-05-22) (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

Born in London in 1896,[2] Voelcker attended Shrewsbury School before joining the Sandhurst Military Academy 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]

Voelcker's military medals

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

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 F.W. Voelcker Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1946, p26
  2. 1 2 3 4 The New Administrator of Western Samoa Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1945, p28
  3. "No. 28969". The London Gazette. 10 November 1914. p. 9142.
  4. 1 2 Further Decotrations for the FMF Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1945, p33
  5. "No. 13558". The Edinburgh Gazette. 2 February 1920. p. 313.
  6. Lieutenant-Colonel F.W. Voelcker, DSO, OBE, MC New Zealand Electronic Text Collection
  7. 1 2 3 4 Colonel F.W. Voelcker Pacific Islands Monthly, July 1954, p141
  8. Fiji Commanders Decorated Pacific Islands Monthly, November 1944, p16
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