Franz was born in 1909 in Austria. Please contact us if you can provide further information on his life and family.

He was an assistant steward on the ship S.S. Stancliffe which was travelling from Narvik, Norway to Immingham, Lincolnshire with a cargo of iron ore. At 09.42 hours on 12 April 1940 the unescorted Stancliffe was hit on the starboard side just ahead of the bridge by one G7e torpedo from U-37 about 50 miles north-northeast of Muckle Flugga, Shetlands. The ship sank within 8 minutes after the foreship had broken off with the master and 21 crew members lost. The U-boat went alongside of a lifeboat and took a man aboard for questioning. He was allowed to return to the boat with cigarettes and a bottle of rum. The 16 crew members in the lifeboat made landfall at Haroldswick, Unst Island, Shetlands.