George Francis was born in Midhurst, Surrey on 1 October 1901, the son of Henry Francis and Eva Francis (née Millard). He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Artificer on 3 January 1917. On completion of his five-year Engine Room Artificer Apprenticeship, he was drafted to the battleship HMS REVENGE. He then served in HMS LUPIN and HMS EFFINGHAM.

Engine Room Artificer Third Class George Francis joined submarines at HMS DOLPHIN ‘for the Submarine Course‘ on 10 August 1928. He served in HMS L56 (7 November 1928 to 12 January 1930) and then HMS PROTEUS (22 January 1930 to 20 March 1933). He joined HMS L52 (2 August 1933 to 12 May 1934) and then continued his submarine service in HMS SHARK (18 September 1934 to 7 September 1935), HMS L71 (8 February 1935 to 30 April 1936) and HMS OTWAY (1 May 1936 to 3 August 1936).

He then joined HMS OTUS (10 September 1936 to 31 December 1936) and then HMS REGULUS (1 April 1937 to 26 May 1939). George Francis then served in HMS OBERON from 2 August 1939 to 18 January 1941, and was promoted to Acting Warrant Engineer on 1 February 1941. On 15 April 1941 he was appointed to HMS SEALION as the Engineer, and this was followed by an appointment to HMS SICKLE as the Engineer on 15 June 1942.

After work up, SICKLE was sent to the Mediterranean to join the Eighth Submarine Flotilla at Algiers. On 21 May 1943, an attack was conducted on the German U-Boat U-303 off Toulon. Two torpedoes were fired of which one hit abaft of the conning tower and the U-Boat was sunk. On 12 June 1944, SICKLE was ordered to patrol North of the 38˚00’ parallel but, on 14 June the Commanding Officer was ordered to terminate the patrol. It is possible that he did not receive these orders as nothing more was heard from SICKLE, which was assumed, on or about 16 June 1944, to have been lost with all hands. It is thought that the SICKLE hit a mine in the Kythera Channel.

George Francis was the husband of Doris May Francis of Cosham, Portsmouth, Hants. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 81, Column 1.