Francis William Kane

Francis Kane was born in Ireland about 1865 and arrived in Australia in 1890.

He married Blanche Parker in Cobar, N.S.W. on 31st January 1891 and went on to have two sons.  

Francis was a medical practioner with a medical practice in Nowra, N.S.W.   He served in the Boer War with 6th Imperial Bushmen in South Africa and returned to his practice in Nowra when the Boer War ended.

Dr Kane enlisted when he was 49 years old. The following day his sons, Francis William (junior) & Lord Alfred also enlisted.  He embarked from Sydney on HMAT A23 Suffolk as Doctor with 2nd Battalion, Headquarters on 18th October 1914.

The ship arrived in Egypt in early December 1914.  In early April he embarked with the landing troops on the Derflinger for Lemnos.  The troops arrived on Gallipoli on 25th April and Dr Kane's skills were called upon immediately.  Dr Kane had to be evacuated himself, and he was admitted to hospital in Alexandria on 19th May 1915, then returned to Australia on 10th June 1915 to be discharged medically unfit on 17th November 1915.

While Dr Kane was in hospital in Egypt his son Francis (junior) died on the hospital ship Sicillia on 23rd May 1915.  There is a letter on file from Dr Kane asking that his sons medals be sent to their mother as the marriage had broken down, and the sons had lived with their mother for some time.

Dr Kane died at the age of 70, in Dulwich Hill, N.S.W. where he had been practicing medicine.