Francis was born on 11 June 1911 in Willesden to Lionel and Margarethe née Sonn. Francis had four older sisters, Lilian, Elsie, Constance, Marjorie and a younger brother James. Francis’s father Lionel was a fine art publisher in Brondesbury and pre deceased his son in 1937.

Francis served in the Merchant Navy as a saloon boy until 1929. In the 1939 Register he is listed as living at the City of London school which had been evacuated and was listed as an actor, producer and stage manager.

Francis was a wireless operator on Halifax W7674 which departed from RAF Leeming on a night operation to Warnemunde. The aircraft crashed killing all the crew.
Pilot, 37399, Sqn Ldr Neil Drummond Guthrie
F/E, 570416, Sgt Alec Ernest Towler
Obs, 963007, Sgt Frank Harry Le Vack
W/Op, 919564, Sgt Donald Alexander Clephane –
W/Op A/G, 117002, Plt Off Douglas Walter Hales
A/G, 1378401, Sgt Matthew George Killingbeck