Ralph Honner
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel
Hyacinth Ralph Honner DSO
, MC
(17 August 1904 – 14 May 1994), known as Ralph Honner, was a distinguished Australia
n soldier during the Second World War. He is considered particularly notable for his leadership during the Kokoda Track Campaign
, during which he commanded the 39th Battalion, which fought a series of delaying actions as the Japanese advanced towards Port Moresby
. In 1943 Honner was wounded during the fighting in the Ramu and Markham Valleys
and, as a result, was discharged from the Army in early 1945. In his later life, he worked as an administrator on the War Pensions Assessment Appeal Tribunal. He was also active in the Liberal Party of New South Wales
and served as the Australian ambassador to Ireland between 1968 and 1972. He died in 1994, aged 89.
, Western Australia
, on 17 August 1904. The third child of six, his parents were Richard and Eleanor Honner. His father was a police officer and the family were devout Catholics. At birth, Honner's full name was Hyacinth Ralph Honner, with his first name being derived from Saint Hyacinth
, whose feast day was 17 August, however, growing up, this name caused Honner some heartache as he was sometimes mistaken for being female on paperwork and during his formative years at school he informally began using his middle name instead.
In 1917, Honner attended Perth Boys School before receiving a scholarship to Perth Modern School, where he started in the beginning of 1918 as a boarder. In his early teens Honner was quiet and was considered small and not very athletic by his peers. He was intensely bright, however, and did well in his studies. By his final year of school, however, he had filled out from working on his family's property at Cheltenham Park, and had grown to 6 feet (1.8 m); he had also become an "accomplished athlete". At the age of 18, in 1923, having completed his schooling, Honner enrolled at Claremont Teachers College
and began a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Australia
, majoring in the English and Modern History.
While he was studying, he met Marjory Collier Bennett, who was also studying to become a teacher, and in 1925 they became "unofficially engaged". Lacking the money with which to get married, they would remain engaged for nine years before eventually marrying on 2 June 1934 at Nedlands, Western Australia
. They would subsequently have four children together: Richard (1936), Brian (1938), Margaret (1943) and John (1946). During this time, Honner also served in the Citizens Forces
, joining the 11th/16th Battalion in 1924 and achieving the rank of sergeant
by 1927 when he took his discharge.
In 1927 Honner completed his teaching qualification and began working in Kalgoorlie
. Two years later he was offered a position as Senior House Master at Hale School
in Perth. Taking the position, he undertook classes at night at the University of Western Australia to obtain a law degree, which was conferred upon him in 1933. During this time he also played the occasional game for Claremont
in the West Australian Football League
, as well as playing rugby union and representing the university in athletics.
Upon completing his law degree, Honner went to work at the Parker and Parker law firm in Perth. He also continued his sporting interests and in 1936 rejoined the part-time military forces, which was then known as the Militia. On 25 June 1936 he was appointed as a lieutenant
in the 11th/16th Battalion.
(2nd AIF) on 24 October 1939. In December 1939 he took command of 'C' Company of the 2/11th Battalion, a Western Australian infantry battalion, with the rank of captain. Honner and his battalion sailed for the Middle East
in April 1940, arriving the following month. After undertaking training in Palestine
, Honner's company then proceeded to fight in the battles of the Western Desert Campaign
against the Italians at Bardia
, Tobruk
and Derna before being dispatched to Greece
following the German invasion in April 1941. In Greece, Honner led his men through a series of fighting withdrawals as they were pushed back by stronger German forces. Later they were evacuated to Crete
where they took part in the heavy fighting around Retimo. Honner then led a group across the island in order to evade capture and, after meeting up with a Royal Navy submarine, they were evacuated to Alexandria. He was subsequently promoted to major
and, for his leadership during the fighting around Thermopylae in the earlier Greek campaign, he was awarded the Military Cross
.
Following this Honner undertook a training role, serving as commanding officer
of an Australian training battalion in the Middle East, to which he was posted in October 1941. Honner returned to Australia in May 1942. After being briefly reunited with his wife he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
and sent to Papua where he was given command of the 39th Battalion, who were involved in a desperate campaign against the Japanese forces fighting along the Kokoda Track
. With instructions to stop the Japanese advance at Isurava, Honner arrived on 16 August 1942. Upon reaching the battalion's position, Honner found that his new command was already depleted from tropical diseases and from earlier fighting and was heavily outnumbered.
Using his previous combat experience and personal leadership qualities, Honner maintained the 39th Battalion's cohesion and morale, and led them in a fighting withdrawal down the track, helping to blunt the Japanese advance towards Port Moresby until they were reinforced, and subsequently relieved, by the 2/14th Battalion
. The 39th Battalion was then withdrawn from the line and rested for a brief period of time before they were recommitted to the fighting around Gona
in December 1942. For his role during the capture of the Japanese beachheads around Gona and Sananada, Honner was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order
. In January 1943, the 39th Battalion was withdrawn to Australia for rest and re-organisation. After reforming on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland
, they were subsequently disbanded on 3 July 1943, as the decision was made to redistribute the battalion's personnel to reinforce other units.
Although Honner took the decision to disband the 39th Battalion hard, six days after he was appointed to command of the 2/14th Battalion, having been asked for personally by Brigadier Ivan Dougherty
, commander of the 21st Brigade
of which the 2/14th was a part. Honner subsequently led the 2/14th early in the campaign in the Ramu–Markham Valley
before being seriously wounded by a gunshot to his hip after leaving the battalion's main defensive perimeter to conduct a reconnaissance during the advance on Dumpu. After being evacuated to Australia, Honner had surgery on his hip during which a metal plate was inserted into it. In early 1944, after being deemed only fit for duties of an administrative nature, he was posted as General Staff Officer Grade 1, Directorate of Military Training, G Branch, at Land Headquarters in Melbourne, where he worked on the creation of training manuals. In late 1944 Honner's medical classification was downgraded further as his hip injury worsened, and as a result in January 1945, he was discharged.
and after this he assumed the chair of the No. 2 War Pension Assessment Appeal Tribunal, undertaking the same duties as he had in Perth. In Sydney, Honner became involved with the United Nations
Association (New South Wales Division) and between 1955 and 1957 he served as the association's president. Between 1961 and 1963, he also served as President of the Liberal Party of New South Wales
, being the first Catholic to undertake the role.
Honner retired from the pensions tribunal in 1968, and later that year he was appointed as the Australian ambassador to Ireland. Based in Dublin, he served in this post until 1972 when he returned to Sydney, where he established himself at Beauty Point
. After his wife, Marjory, became sick, Honner spent most of his time taking care of her until she died in 1990. Ralph Honner subsequently died at his home in Sydney on 14 May 1994, aged 89 years. His funeral was held on 20 May at St Mary's Church, North Sydney. At his funeral an unknown Japanese veteran walked up to his coffin and bowed in respect. Honner was buried alongside his wife at the Northern Suburbs Cemetery.
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Hyacinth Ralph Honner DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(17 August 1904 – 14 May 1994), known as Ralph Honner, was a distinguished Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n soldier during the Second World War. He is considered particularly notable for his leadership during the Kokoda Track Campaign
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
, during which he commanded the 39th Battalion, which fought a series of delaying actions as the Japanese advanced towards Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
. In 1943 Honner was wounded during the fighting in the Ramu and Markham Valleys
Finisterre Range campaign
The Finisterre Range campaign, also known as the Ramu Valley–Finisterre Range campaign, was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II...
and, as a result, was discharged from the Army in early 1945. In his later life, he worked as an administrator on the War Pensions Assessment Appeal Tribunal. He was also active in the Liberal Party of New South Wales
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and served as the Australian ambassador to Ireland between 1968 and 1972. He died in 1994, aged 89.
Early life
Honner was born in FremantleFremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, on 17 August 1904. The third child of six, his parents were Richard and Eleanor Honner. His father was a police officer and the family were devout Catholics. At birth, Honner's full name was Hyacinth Ralph Honner, with his first name being derived from Saint Hyacinth
Saint Hyacinth
Saint Hyacinth, O.P., was educated in Paris and Bologna. A Doctor of Sacred Studies and a secular priest, he worked to reform women's monasteries in his native Poland...
, whose feast day was 17 August, however, growing up, this name caused Honner some heartache as he was sometimes mistaken for being female on paperwork and during his formative years at school he informally began using his middle name instead.
In 1917, Honner attended Perth Boys School before receiving a scholarship to Perth Modern School, where he started in the beginning of 1918 as a boarder. In his early teens Honner was quiet and was considered small and not very athletic by his peers. He was intensely bright, however, and did well in his studies. By his final year of school, however, he had filled out from working on his family's property at Cheltenham Park, and had grown to 6 feet (1.8 m); he had also become an "accomplished athlete". At the age of 18, in 1923, having completed his schooling, Honner enrolled at Claremont Teachers College
Claremont Teachers College
Claremont Teachers College was Western Australia’s first post-secondary teaching institution. It opened in 1902 and closed in 1981, when it became a College of Advanced Education and later a campus of Edith Cowan University. The building is on land between Goldsworthy, Princess and Bay Roads in the...
and began a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, majoring in the English and Modern History.
While he was studying, he met Marjory Collier Bennett, who was also studying to become a teacher, and in 1925 they became "unofficially engaged". Lacking the money with which to get married, they would remain engaged for nine years before eventually marrying on 2 June 1934 at Nedlands, Western Australia
Nedlands, Western Australia
The City of Nedlands is a Local Government Area in the inner western suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about west of Perth's central business district...
. They would subsequently have four children together: Richard (1936), Brian (1938), Margaret (1943) and John (1946). During this time, Honner also served in the Citizens Forces
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
, joining the 11th/16th Battalion in 1924 and achieving the rank of sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
by 1927 when he took his discharge.
In 1927 Honner completed his teaching qualification and began working in Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
. Two years later he was offered a position as Senior House Master at Hale School
Hale School
Hale School is a selective, independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys, located in Wembley Downs, a coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
in Perth. Taking the position, he undertook classes at night at the University of Western Australia to obtain a law degree, which was conferred upon him in 1933. During this time he also played the occasional game for Claremont
Claremont Football Club
The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....
in the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
, as well as playing rugby union and representing the university in athletics.
Upon completing his law degree, Honner went to work at the Parker and Parker law firm in Perth. He also continued his sporting interests and in 1936 rejoined the part-time military forces, which was then known as the Militia. On 25 June 1936 he was appointed as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the 11th/16th Battalion.
Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Honner enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial ForceSecond Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
(2nd AIF) on 24 October 1939. In December 1939 he took command of 'C' Company of the 2/11th Battalion, a Western Australian infantry battalion, with the rank of captain. Honner and his battalion sailed for the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in April 1940, arriving the following month. After undertaking training in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Honner's company then proceeded to fight in the battles of the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
against the Italians at Bardia
Battle of Bardia
The Battle of Bardia was fought over three days between 3 and 5 January 1941, as part of Operation Compass, the first military operation of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. It was the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took part, the first to be...
, Tobruk
Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
and Derna before being dispatched to Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
following the German invasion in April 1941. In Greece, Honner led his men through a series of fighting withdrawals as they were pushed back by stronger German forces. Later they were evacuated to Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
where they took part in the heavy fighting around Retimo. Honner then led a group across the island in order to evade capture and, after meeting up with a Royal Navy submarine, they were evacuated to Alexandria. He was subsequently promoted to major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
and, for his leadership during the fighting around Thermopylae in the earlier Greek campaign, he was awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
Following this Honner undertook a training role, serving as commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of an Australian training battalion in the Middle East, to which he was posted in October 1941. Honner returned to Australia in May 1942. After being briefly reunited with his wife he was promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and sent to Papua where he was given command of the 39th Battalion, who were involved in a desperate campaign against the Japanese forces fighting along the Kokoda Track
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
. With instructions to stop the Japanese advance at Isurava, Honner arrived on 16 August 1942. Upon reaching the battalion's position, Honner found that his new command was already depleted from tropical diseases and from earlier fighting and was heavily outnumbered.
Using his previous combat experience and personal leadership qualities, Honner maintained the 39th Battalion's cohesion and morale, and led them in a fighting withdrawal down the track, helping to blunt the Japanese advance towards Port Moresby until they were reinforced, and subsequently relieved, by the 2/14th Battalion
2/14th Battalion (Australia)
The 2/14th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, which served during World War II. Part of the 21st Brigade, 7th Division, the battalion saw action against the Vichy French in Syria in 1941 before returning to Australia in early 1942. They subsequently fought against the...
. The 39th Battalion was then withdrawn from the line and rested for a brief period of time before they were recommitted to the fighting around Gona
Battle of Buna-Gona
The Battle of Buna–Gona was a battle in the New Guinea campaign, a major part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On 16 November 1942, Australian and United States forces attacked the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea, at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. Both forces were riddled by disease and...
in December 1942. For his role during the capture of the Japanese beachheads around Gona and Sananada, Honner was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. In January 1943, the 39th Battalion was withdrawn to Australia for rest and re-organisation. After reforming on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, they were subsequently disbanded on 3 July 1943, as the decision was made to redistribute the battalion's personnel to reinforce other units.
Although Honner took the decision to disband the 39th Battalion hard, six days after he was appointed to command of the 2/14th Battalion, having been asked for personally by Brigadier Ivan Dougherty
Ivan Dougherty
Major General Sir Ivan Noel Dougherty CBE, DSO & Bar, ED was an Australian Army officer during World War II.-Education and early life:...
, commander of the 21st Brigade
21st Brigade (Australia)
The 21st Brigade was a brigade-sized infantry unit of the Australian Army. Formed in April 1940 as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, the unit was raised for service during World War II...
of which the 2/14th was a part. Honner subsequently led the 2/14th early in the campaign in the Ramu–Markham Valley
Finisterre Range campaign
The Finisterre Range campaign, also known as the Ramu Valley–Finisterre Range campaign, was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II...
before being seriously wounded by a gunshot to his hip after leaving the battalion's main defensive perimeter to conduct a reconnaissance during the advance on Dumpu. After being evacuated to Australia, Honner had surgery on his hip during which a metal plate was inserted into it. In early 1944, after being deemed only fit for duties of an administrative nature, he was posted as General Staff Officer Grade 1, Directorate of Military Training, G Branch, at Land Headquarters in Melbourne, where he worked on the creation of training manuals. In late 1944 Honner's medical classification was downgraded further as his hip injury worsened, and as a result in January 1945, he was discharged.
Later life
Following his discharge from the Army, Honner took a position as chairman of the No. 3 War Pensions Assessment Appeal Tribunal in Perth, where he heard appeals by veterans in relation to pension claims. In 1949, Honner moved to Sydney with his family, taking up residence at SeaforthSeaforth, New South Wales
Seaforth is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Seaforth is located 12 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Manly Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region....
and after this he assumed the chair of the No. 2 War Pension Assessment Appeal Tribunal, undertaking the same duties as he had in Perth. In Sydney, Honner became involved with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Association (New South Wales Division) and between 1955 and 1957 he served as the association's president. Between 1961 and 1963, he also served as President of the Liberal Party of New South Wales
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, being the first Catholic to undertake the role.
Honner retired from the pensions tribunal in 1968, and later that year he was appointed as the Australian ambassador to Ireland. Based in Dublin, he served in this post until 1972 when he returned to Sydney, where he established himself at Beauty Point
Beauty Point, New South Wales
Beauty Point is an urban locality in the suburb of Mosman in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman and is part of the Lower North Shore.-History:...
. After his wife, Marjory, became sick, Honner spent most of his time taking care of her until she died in 1990. Ralph Honner subsequently died at his home in Sydney on 14 May 1994, aged 89 years. His funeral was held on 20 May at St Mary's Church, North Sydney. At his funeral an unknown Japanese veteran walked up to his coffin and bowed in respect. Honner was buried alongside his wife at the Northern Suburbs Cemetery.