Ralph Honner
| Ralph Honner | |
|---|---|
Captain Ralph Honner in Libya, 1941.
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "Jump" |
| Born |
17 August 1904 Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Died | 14 May 1994 (aged 89) Sydney, New South Wales |
| Allegiance |
 Australia
|
| Service/ |
Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1924–1927 1936–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held |
2/14th Battalion (1943) 39th Battalion (1942–43) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order Military Cross |
| Other work | Ambassador to Ireland (1968–72) |
Lieutenant Colonel Hyacinth Ralph Honner DSO, MC (17 August 1904 – 14 May 1994), known as Ralph Honner, was a distinguished Australian 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.
Honner was born in Fremantle, 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.
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