Contributed by Ron Inglis, October 2021:
In mid-October 1916, Anzac 1 Corps was brought back down into France from their rest in Belgium to renew attacking in the final days of the First Battle of the Somme. The attacks were made in the locality of the villages of Delville Wood, Flers and Gueudecourt. Eight Auburn Memorial lost their lives up to Christmas Day 1916 – six out of the eight being in the 2nd Australian Division. One of these was Private John Hoban, who has no known grave and his name is inscribed on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.
John Benedict Hoban, 29, a native of West Maitland, enlisted at Holsworthy on 25 August 1915. He nominated his mother, Mary, of Rawson Street, Auburn, as his next-of-kin and gave his occupation as clerk.
Private Hoban served the standard four months training in Australia before embarking on the Suevic on 20 December 1915. With him were five other Auburn men whose names would also appear on the Auburn War Memorial: Owen Coughlan, George Jerome, Charles Waterhouse, Clyde Davis and Herbert Jones.
Hoban spent four months in Egypt before moving on to the United Kingdom where he was promoted to A/Sgt and posted to a training battalion, most likely with clerical duties, on the Salisbury Plain. So it was a year and four months after enlistment that Hoban, reverting to Private, crossed to France and was taken on strength of the 19th Battalion, 2nd Australian Division on the 6 December 1916. He was killed in action 18 days later, on Christmas Eve 1916.
During the cold northern winter, neither side could launch major offensives, so casualty rates were low. However, casualties such as Private Hoban did occur, usually as the result of sniper fire, trench raids or random shelling. Mary Hoban submitted the following for the gravestone of her son. It was not used as Hoban’s body was never found:
DEAR JACK HOW WE MISS YOU
IN A HERO’S GRAVE YOU ARE LYING
LITTLE WE KNEW WHEN WE PARTED
NO TONGUE ON EARTH CAN TELL
IT WOULD BE OUR LAST FAREWELL.
John Hoban is honoured on the following memorials in Australia:
- Auburn War Memorial
- Municipality of Auburn 1914-1919 Honour Roll
- Roll of Honour Australian War Memorial Canberra
His decorations:
- British War Medal
- 1914-20 Victory Medal
