Francis was born on 20 November 1841, the son of Lieut. F. Treboudet de Membray Clark R.N., at Liverpool, Lancashire, where his father was serving temporarily.
He was the Grandson of Commander William J. Stephen Clark R.N. and Lieutenant John Courtis R.N., and obviously destined to have a naval career also.
On his father's side he was descended from a long line of Naval Executive Officers resident in Portsmouth, while on his mother's side he was Cornish of the Courtis family and natives of Lostwithiel.
Francis was appointed to the Admiralty after examination, on 18 August 1859 by the First Lord of the Admiralty the Duke of Somerset and served for some time as Secretary to the Captains Superintendent of the R.N. Hospital Plymouth.
He was promoted in March 1861 after a competition examination in which he took first place with an honors certificate.
Later he was transferred as Secretary and Cashier of the R.N. Hospital, Yarmouth.
In 1879 he was appointed to the Department of the Medical Director General of the navy in London as Head of the Supply and Estimate Branch, a post which he held for 22 years, until his retirement in 1901 - from failing sight.
In June 1883, - Mr. Clark was appointed Secretary of a Committee under the Presidency of Rear Admiral Sir A.N. Hoskins KCB and Lord Commander of the Admiralty to enquire into the entry and organization of the Nursing Staff of the Navy, afloat and ashore, in the R.N. Hospitals, including the employment of Sisters of which latter none had been yet
| |
borne for duty. This was a subject in which Mr. Clark had been personally interested for some years - the sick were attended on - one cannot say nursed - by willing but untrained men, pensioners and others, with a handful of women, equally untrained.
All this was altered and brought up to date.
The Committee held frequent meetings, examined witnesses and visited at the large Naval, Military and Civil Hospitals in England.
This report was published as a Blue Book and presented to both Houses of parliament by Command of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria.
For his services, Mr. Clark was informed by the lord Commanders of the Admiralty of their satisfaction of the manner in which he had discharged his duties.
From 1885 to his retirement in 1901 Mr. Clark was entrusted with the control of the new Nursing Staff male and female, its appointments and promotion.
The staff passed through many vicissitudes and improvements before it evolved in its present efficient state.
With an increasing Fleet, the numbers of S.B. Staff men rose from 250 to 1000, and all Nursing Sisters were honored with the title of Queen Alexandra's Naval Nursing Service.
Mr. Clark retired in 1901 on a well earned pension after service in the Higher Division of the Admiralty Secretarial and was informed officially of the "Lordship's appreciation of his faithful services extending over 42 years, for more than 22 years of which he was the Head of Supply and Estimates Branch in the Department of the Medical Director General of the Navy".
|
