The New Administrator

of Western Samoa

rE new Administrator of Western Samoa, Lieut.-Colonel F. W.

Voelcker, DSO, MC, who replaces Mr. A. C. Turnbull (retiring) early next year, was born in London in 1896.

At the outbreak of World War I he was at the Royal Military College at Sand hurst, and was commissioned to the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, in November, 1914. He saw active service in Belgium in 1915 and was wounded and taken prisoner during the German gas attack on the Canadians at Ypres in

April. He was 31 years a prisoner, and escaped out of three camps. He was awarded the Military Cross. He went with his regiment to Aden in 1919, and saw service in the Yemen, going to India in 1920 and remaining there until 1928.

Lieut.-Colonel Voelcker married Miss Norah Hodgson in India in 1924, and there are two daughters, Joan and Bar bara, aged 18 and 11. He arrived with his family in New Zealand in 1928 and settled in Keri Keri.

At the outbreak of World War II he was called up, and was employed train ing the Railway Construction Unit in 1940, and went overseas as Major in the 30th Battalion, 2nd NZEF, Fiji. He was given command of the training battalion and later the reserve battalion with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and later of the 34th Battalion in Fiji. He returned to New Zealand in June, 1942, and returned to Fiji in December of that year to take command of the 3rd Battalion, Fiji Infan. try Regiment. He took his Fijian battalion overseas to Bougainville in March, 1944, and took part in the campaign there.

One of his men won the Victoria Cross.

Lieut.-Colonel Voelcker was awarded the DSO and the American Bronze Star. He returned to New Zealand in September, 1945.

Lieut.-Colonel Voelker —wartime snapshot.