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10/19/2017 Biography - Francis Edgar Williams - Australian Dictionary of Biography
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/williams-francis-edgar-9109 1/2
Williams, Francis Edgar (1893–1943) by Michael W. Young

Francis Edgar Williams, anthropologist of Papua – Fact sheet 235
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/fact-sheets/fs235.aspx
The fact sheet contains a brief biography on Francis’ life and links to the records held in a number of Australia archives relating to F.E. Williams.

Additional Biography

Early Life

Francis Edgar Williams was born of the 9th of February 1893, the son of David Williams and Annie Good. Francis was one of six children. His siblings were Irene Florence (b 1885), Mabel Evangeline (b 1886), Leslie Good (b 1889), Arthur Evan (b 1890) and Edith Beatrice (b 1896).

His father, David Williams was an architect with the firm Williams & Good, Waymouth Street, Adelaide. The family were living at High Street, Unley Park when Francis enlisted in 1915.

Schooling

Francis completed all his later primary and secondary education at Kyre College (the forerunner of Scotch College) from 1903 to 1910. After having an outstanding academic career where he topped every year but one, in his final year he was awarded the Tennyson Medal and won a government bursary to study at the University of Adelaide.

At Kyre College he participated in football (1910 Captain of 1st XVIII), cricket, athletics and gymnastics. He won the cup at the Kyre College sports in 1910. In 1911 he was awarded the Andrew Scott prize for Latin with Colin Gore Stewart. In 1912, Francis was on the committee of the Kyre College Old Boys’ Association.

Adelaide University (1911 - 1914)

Francis again had a first-class academic record at Adelaide University, graduating in 1914 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (1st Class Honours Classics). He was awarded the Roby Fletcher Prize (1913), the David Murray Scholarship (1914) and the 1915 Rhodes Scholarship.

University Sport

Cricket
Francis played for the Adelaide University Cricket Club (B Grade 1911-15).

Boat
While at University he was also a member of the Rowing Club.

Football
Francis played for the Adelaide University Football Club (A Grade 1911-1915). He was the club secretary in 1913 and club vice-captain in 1915. He played Intervarsity football in 1911, 1912, 1913 (v-c) and 1914. In his first year with the Club, he was a member of the 1911 Premiership Team. Francis was awarded a Blue for Football in 1911.

World War I

Francis put his studies on hold and on the 8th of June 1915, he enlisted in the AIF at Keswick, SA. He was 22 years and three months old, 5’6” tall, 157 lbs, with a fair complexion, grey eyes and fair hair. His mother was listed as his next-of-kin. Francis had no previous military experience. As his occupation was initially recorded as labourer, it is possible that Francis was working to accumulate funds before commencing his studies under the Rhodes Scholarship.

After undertaking some basic training in SA, and becoming a Certified Sergeant, Francis was sent to Officers School from the 1st of September 1915, and he gained a Commission on the 16th of December 1915. He became a 2nd Lieutenant in the 3/32nd Battalion. On his application for a Commission (below) his father was named as his next-of-kin.

Francis departed from Adelaide, Australia on the 7th of February 1916, onboard the HMAT Miltiades, and disembarked on the 11th of March 1916 at Suez. There he joined the 8th Training Battalion and had a brief spell in the Hospital at Cairo due to illness.

On the 6th of June 1916, he departed from Alexandrina, Egypt onboard the HMT Francania disembarking at Plymouth, England on the 16th of June 1916. He was sent to the Musketry School at Tidsworth. On the 29th of August 1916, Francis arrived at Estaples, France.

Francis was promoted to Lieutenant in the 32nd Battalion on the 25th of November 1916. He was on special leave in France from the 28th of June 1917 to the 3rd of July 1917. On the 29th of July 1917, he was appointed a Musketry officer. From the 10th to the 28th of October, Francis was on leave in the UK. After a further period in France, he was sent back to England on duty in January 1918.

Having been selected for special duty, Francis was appointed a temporary Captain in the Imperial Army on the 15th of January 1918. He embarked from Southampton on the 29th of January 1918 and disembarked at Basrah, Persia (now known as Basra, an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab between Kuwait and Iran) on the 2nd of March 1918. On the 19th of March 1918 he joined the Dunsterforce.

The Dunsterforce was created at the end of 1917, as “the likelihood of Russia making a separate peace treaty gave rise to fears as to the security of Persia, Afghanistan and hence the north west frontier of India. Consequently, a mission was established under Major General Lionel Charles Dunsterville CB, CSI which became known as Dunsterforce, comprising of around 500 men and a small number of vehicles. The aim of Dunsterforce was to organize and train local groups of Georgians and Armenians to counter Turkish operations in the Caucasus”.

On the 21st of September 1918, Francis was wounded slightly but remained on duty. He then spent some time in hospital at Bijar (Iran) in October 1918 with enteritis.

On the 5th of January 1919, he embarked at Basrah, onboard the HMAT Ascanius, bound for Australia. He relinquished the temporary rank of Captain with the Imperial Army and was promoted to Honorary Captain in the AIF on the 28th of February 1919.
After a short stopover in India, the HMAT Ascanius departed the sub-continent on the 28th of February 1919 and returned to Australia on the 28th of March 1919. His appointment with the AIF was terminated on the 12th of March 1919.

Further details of Francis’ WWI activities are detailed in the newspaper article and the typed document from his service record (see document).

Post War Career and Family Life

After WWI, Francis returned to England where he took up his Rhodes Scholarship and gained a Diploma in Anthropology with distinction from Balliol College, Oxford in 1921. While he was a student at Oxford, Francis made three trips to the Continent including travelling to Austria and Germany.

Francis returned to Australia onboard the RMS Ormonde on the 30th of January 1922.

His impressions were recorded in the newspaper article (see document).

Francis then travelled to Papua New Guinea in 1922, where he worked as an anthropologist for the Australian Government, until the invasion of PNG by the Japanese during World War II.

In December 1926 Francis married Constance Laura Denness, a kindergarten teacher from Vancouver, Canada.

Francis continued to study and gained his Honours Degree of Master of Arts from Adelaide University in December 1928.

Francis and his wife and son (Francis John Denness Williams) were back in South Australia In February 1930 to visit Francis’ parents.

Francis became the editor of a monthly paper for the people of PNG and the author of a number of books. In 1932 Francis was involved in the design of a new series of stamps for the Territory of Papua. Two of his sketches were used and he also designed the borders used on eleven stamps.

Francis was awarded the Rockefeller Scholarship and in August 1933 and he boarded the Largs Bay bound for London and Oxford. His wife and son accompanied him on the trip and his son remained in the United Kingdom to attend school. In July 1934, Francis was awarded the Wellcome Gold medal.

Francis was in Adelaide in September 1934 to see his parents before returning to PNG. In February 1935, he was awarded the Cilento Bronze medal, awarded annually to the scientist deemed to have accomplished the best practical work for the furtherance of tropical hygiene and native welfare in Australasia. Coincidentally, the donor Sir Raphael Cilento was doing medicine at Adelaide University the same time Francis was completing his degree. They were the same age.

In 1935, Francis was involved in several flights to observe the unexplored areas of PNG from the air and in 1936, he was selected to represent Australia at a conference on anthropology and native education run by the Carnegie Corporation of New York in Honolulu from the 30th of June to the 7th of August.

Francis and Constance travelled from PNG to Brisbane together on the Montoro and Constance visited relations in Adelaide while Francis attended the conference. While in Brisbane, Constance talked to the local newspaper about her involvement in the work undertaken by her husband and her own studies in anthropology. An article by Constance about her life in PNG was published in the Adelaide News in May 1938. (see document).

World War II

In the early staged of WWII, Francis acted as a liaison officer between the government and the military. Then in 1941, he returned to Australia on four months leave and he visited his mother in Adelaide.

Sadly, Francis’ father, David, passed away on the 29th of August 1940, aged 84 and his mother, Annie passed away on the 9th of July 1942.

On the 18th of February 1942, Francis enlisted in the Australian Military Forces (AMF) as a Lieutenant (Service Number V146974). He was in Melbourne, Victoria at the time of his enlistment. He worked with Australian Military Intelligence in Victoria until November 1942 when he transferred to Australian Military Intelligence LHQ , where he was attached to the Allied Geographical Unit.

On the 8th of March 1943, in Brisbane, Francis enlisted (Service Number VX136033). Constance was in Sydney but later moved to Brisbane. Francis became a Captain in the Australian New Guinea Administration Unit. He returned to PNG.

Death

On the 12th of May 1943, Francis was a passenger on a flight from Wards Drome (near Port Moresby) to Do Bodura (on the north coast of PNG) under orders. He was reported as missing in action and later confirmed killed in action as a result of an airplane accident. Francis was 50 years old. He was buried at the Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery.

Authors: EE (Beth) Filmer & Rob O'Shannassy

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project (in the period 2015-2019) please see the document attached.