Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Verdon Arnold Hocking was more than a name etched in military records. He was a resilient Australian from the rural heartland who answered his nation’s call during World War I, endured the horrors of the Western Front, found love in unexpected circumstances, and built a quiet family life in post-war Victoria.

Born October 1889 in the small mining and agricultural town of Raywood, Victoria, Verdon grew up in a close-knit Methodist family. He was the son of Thomas Hocking, a farmer who passed away before 1919, and Margaret Hocking. At the turn of the century, Raywood was a modest borough with a population of about 1,200, known for its sandstone quarries, railway station, and community institutions such as churches and hotels.

As a young man, Verdon worked as a farm labourer and clerk, embodying the hardworking spirit of rural Australia.

What drove Verdon to enlist? By late 1916, Australia was reeling from devastating losses at Gallipoli and on the Somme. Voluntary recruitment campaigns intensified amid heated conscription debates, following the failure of the first referendum in October 1916. At 27 years old, single and of a patriotic generation, Verdon was not a wide-eyed youth but a mature man who stepped forward when many hesitated.

His solemn oath to “resist His Majesty’s enemies” until the war’s end suggests a strong sense of duty to King and country, perhaps inspired by stories of mates already overseas or a desire to protect his family’s future.

Verdon embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT 'Medic' on 16th December 1916, arriving in Plymouth, England, on 18th February 1917. By May 1917, he had crossed to France and joined the fighting on the Western Front.

On 26th September 1917, during the brutal Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), Verdon was wounded by a gunshot to his left arm. He was evacuated to England and admitted to military hospitals to recover.

A deeply moving letter written by his mother, Margaret, dated 31st October 1917, reveals the human toll of the war:

“I received today that my son 508 Pte V. A. Hocking had been reported admitted to a Military Hospital suffering from a GSW left arm… I cannot tell you how I have felt… That he was wounded is bad enough but I am so thankful he was not killed.”
Her words portray Verdon as a beloved son whose absence weighed heavily on his family, highlighting the quiet heroism of those left behind.

Recovered from his wound, Verdon returned to France in January 1918. On 1st September 1918, during the Allied Hundred Days Offensive, he was again injured — this time by gas exposure. Gas attacks were among the most terrifying weapons of the war, causing blindness, burns, and long-term health problems. This second injury underscored Verdon’s endurance and the lasting cost of his service.

Once more evacuated to England, he spent months in hospital before being discharged to furlough.

Amid the upheaval of war and recovery, love unexpectedly entered Verdon’s life. On 4th May 1919, at the Parish Church of Sherborne St John in Hampshire, the 29-year-old clerk married Mary Elizabeth Hayes, a 26-year-old spinster and the daughter of pensioner Thomas Hayes.

Verdon returned to Australia aboard HMT 'Rio Pardo' on 11th May 1919, disembarking on 29th June 1919. Declared medically unfit due to his wounds, he was formally discharged on 29th August 1919, having served nearly three years. For his service, he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Post-War Life centered on family and recovery,
Verdon and Mary settled in Victoria and welcomed their only child, Cynthia Mary Hocking, on 1st July 1920 in Sunshine.  She became briefly engaged to Maxim Aubrey Hunt in 1942, before marrying Percy Lawrence Turnbull in 1944.

Verdon Arnold Hocking passed away on 28th August 1958, aged 68. He was laid to rest at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, alongside Mary, who predeceased him, and later Cynthia (d. 2013) and Percy (d. 2008).