Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born 7 March 1880 at Roselle, New South Wales.

He served in the South African War in 1902 and took part in the operations in the Western Transvaal and British Bechuanaland, and received the Queen’s Medal with three clasps.

Upon returning to Australia from South Africa he decided to take up soldiering as a profession, and after qualifying in certain military examinations became an Officer in the Australian permanent forces.  He received his first commission as a Lieutenant in the Administrative and Instructional Staff on 14 June 1907, and was promoted to the rank of Captain (A and I) on 1 October 1911 and held this commission on the outbreak of the Great War, being attached to the 4th Military District Headquarters at Keswick under Major Brand, Chief of Staff.  He was also appointed Brigade Major of the 19th Infantry Brigade and the 19th Brigade Area on 1 July 1913, retaining this position until 19 August 1914.   In the capacity he was well known to numerous compulsory trainees. 

He married prior to arriving in South Australia, and his wife (Amy Ella) was not a South Australian by birth.

At the outbreak of the Great War he was residing at Falcon Avenue, West Adelaide.

He was one of the first Officers selected by Colonel S P Weir for the personnel of the 10th Battalion, in which he was appointed a Captain on 19 August 1914, and on 20 August 1914 was appointed Adjutant of the Battalion.  He experienced a busy time in the early days of the Morphettville training camp, when recruits were arriving in large numbers and attestation papers could not be filled in quickly enough. 

He accompanied the Battalion to Egypt on HMAT A11 Ascanius and retained the Adjutancy of the 10th until after the landing.  He landed from the Prince of Wales in the historic landing on 25 April 1915 and the next day was promoted to the rank of Major and posted to the Command of the A Company, although he did not actually assume command of his company until a few weeks later, when he relinquished the Adjutancy of the Battalion. 

He was subsequently invalided ill from the Peninsula, and proceeded to hospital at Malta.

He eventually returned, and joined the Battalion in the line at Anzac about 30 October 1915, and was appointed 2nd in Command of the Battalion.  He accompanied the Battalion to Lemnos when withdrawn on 21 November 1915, and proceeded with the 10th to Egypt, where at Gebel Habieta on 1 March 1916 he was transferred to the 49th Battalion as Commanding Officer and on 12 March 1916 was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and Commanded the 49th Battalion until 23 January 1917.

On 5 June 1916 he embarked on the Arcadian with the 49th Battalion and disembarked at Marseilles, France on 12 June 1916.  This transport also conveyed 13th Infantry Brigade Headquarters and Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick William Hurcombe, and the 50th Battalion.

He remained on the file until 23 January 1917 and subsequently returned to Australia, his services with the AIF terminating on 2 October 1917.

For his services on Gallipoli he was Mentioned In Despatches (MID), vide London Gazette on 5 November 1915, and for his services in France, vide London Gazette 2 January 1917.  For his distinguished service on the field during the operations at the Dardanelles he was awarded the DSO, which was promulgated in the London Gazette on 8 November 1915.

He was the first 10th Battalion Officer to become a Companion of this order. After returning to Australia he was awarded the Order of Danilo (4th class with swords), which was conferred by H.M. the late King of Montenegro and promulgated in London Gazette of 21 August 1917.  Whilst he was the Commanding Officer of the 49th Battalion that unit received a consignment of sandbags made by children attending the Heathfield School, South Australia.   These sandbags were used in connection with the Suez Canal Defences, and after same had been filled and placed in position by the troops under his command he had a photograph taken, which with a letter of thanks was forwarded to the Director of Education for transmission to the Heathfield School.

Upon returning to Australia he was transferred to the 2nd Military District Headquarters at Sydney.  During his absence from Australia he was appointed a Major in the A and I on 1 December 1915, and promoted to rank of Honorary Colonel on 12 March 1916.  On 26 November 1919 he became seriously ill, which necessitated him absenting himself from military duty for six weeks, resuming again on 7 January 1920. 

On 1 October 1920 he was transferred from the A and I to the Staff Corps, with rank of Major and on 1 October 1923 was promoted to rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and attained the rank of Colonel on 1 June 1935.

Since the Great War he held the following important Australian Military Force appointments:

• Assistant Quartermaster-General, 2nd Military District from 22 October 1917 – 12 April 1919
• Brigade Major (Light Horse) from 13 April 1919 – 30 April 921
• Inspector-General of Cavalry, 4th Division (Victoria) from  1 May 1921 – 31 July 1922
• Staff Officer ‘A-Q’ Branches, 3rd Division (Victoria) from  1 August 1922 – 31 December 1924
• Inspector-General of Cavalry, 3rd Division (Victoria) from  1 September 1923 – 31 December 1924
• Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster- General and Inspector-General of Cavalry, 3rd Division (Victoria) from 1 January 1925 to 30 April 1926
• Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster- General and Inspector-General of Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (New South Wales and Queensland) from 1 May 1926 – 14 October 1928
• Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster- General, 11th Mixed Brigade, 5th Division (Queensland), 1st District Base, 1st Military District from 15 October 1928 – 14 June 1935 when having attained the rank of Colonel, he was transferred from Brisbane to Sydney and appointed
• Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General, 2nd District Base from 15 June 1935

With a soldierly carriage, and whether with or without a military helmet, he was always a conspicuous parade ground figure, and possessed an unmistakable barrack-square voice, which for volume and penetrability could not be excelled.  Early in 1935 his name was mentioned in military circles in connection with higher command vacancies created by the retirement and transfer of certain AMF Officers, he being preceded by only four other Colonels on the Gradation List of the Australian Staff Corps.

Extract from “The Fighting 10th”, Adelaide, Webb & Son, 1936 by C.B.L. Lock; kindly supplied courtesy of the 10th Bn AIF Association Committee, April 2015. 

DEATH OF COL. LORENZO
Colonel Francis M. de Frayer Lorenzo. D.S.O., Director of National Emergency Services in Sydney in 1940 and 1941, died at North Bondi yesterday. He was 67. He had a brilliant military career. In 1907 he joined thc permanent Australian forces. He served in the first world war from 1915 to 1917 in Gallipoli and France. He was adjutant to the 10th Battalion and commanded the 49th Battalion in 1916-17. He was mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Order of Danilo of Montenegro. Later he served on the Staff Corps of both New South Wales and Queensland.