Francis Arthur Senior was born in Hull, the son of an Anglican vicar. He had been a seaman in England, on a ship sailing out of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
In Adelaide by 1914 he played for the Port Adelaide soccer club, and was mentioned as a “new man of much promise” when he scored Port’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Hindmarsh in May.
He enlisted in the 16th Battalion in January 1915, aged 19. Wounded at Gallipoli in August, he was hospitalized in England before being returned to Australia and medically discharged in August 1916.
Senior re-enlisted three months later and joined the 24th reinforcements for the 10th Battalion at Mitcham camp. From this point onwards he became a very difficult soldier, with a lengthy record of disobeying orders, AWOL, field punishments and one court martial. He disappeared from his troopship in Durban for two days whilst enroute to France. He did face the enemy as well, and was wounded again in September 1918.
Senior married Marjorie Tikeman in London in November and was returned to Australia and discharged in December. Despite his wounds he was playing football again in 1923. With the introduction of a Second Division more players were needed and he turned out regularly for Port reserves, scoring a goal in a 4-3 win over Norwood Imperials in May. The following year he transferred to the newly formed Semaphore club, finishing third in a nine-team league.
Frank Senior was living at Exeter near the Port when he died at Woodville’s Mareeba hospital in 1961.