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.
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]
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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]