'Doc' Vernon MC MB ChM is an unsung hero of the Battle of Papua. Having previously been awarded the Military Cross in the First World War for his gallantry and medical 'magic' with the Light Horse, he did not hesitate to front for service once more under the threat of Japanese invasion. He was one of the key figures in organising the local native assistance, the famous Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, and stood with the 39th Battalion (Militia), operating on the wounded as bullets tore away the grass hut roof. He later stated that being deaf (he was made deaf by exploding shells at Gallipoli) helped.
Geoffrey Hampden Vernon was born on 16th December 1882 in Hastings, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom. He was the younger son of Walter Vernon, an architect and part-time soldier, and Margaret Jones. [1]
His family migrated to Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) aboard the Ballaraat, arriving in November 1883. There Geoffrey was educated at the Sydney Church of England Grammar School (now known as Shore) and went on to study medicine at the University of Sydney, graduating with the dual degrees Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Master of Surgery (ChM) in 1905. Geoffrey subsequently practiced as a medical doctor. His father had served in the Second Boer War in 1899-1900 with the New South Wales Lancers and later became their commanding officer.On 4th March 1915, Geoffrey was commissioned in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), his young nation's all-volunteer expeditionary force for the (First World) War. He initially served as Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) of the 4th Light Horse Regiment at Gallipoli, later being transferred to the 11th Light Horse in the Middle East. A shell explosion close by at Gallipoli left him with very little hearing. Geoffrey was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for 'conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He tended and dressed the wounded under heavy fire, displaying great courage and determination. Later, he remained out all night with a wounded man' on 8th August 1916 near the Hd el Beheir Oasis in Sinai. He was promoted to Major in January 1917. On 7th November 1917 he was wounded in action at Tel el Sheria (near Gaza) and was repatriated to Australia 12th July 1918, arriving home in August. [2][3] Following the war he was awarded the campaign and service medals 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Geoffrey's older brother, Ven, also served in the Light Horse during the war, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel and commanding officer of the 4th Division Artillery Ammunition Column.
Doc Vernon, as Geoffrey had become known, made his way north and settled at Daru, on the western shore of the Gulf of Papua and the capital of the Western Province of Papua, then an Australian territory administered by Queensland (the former German New Guinea was administered separately as a territory by the Australian Commonwealth Government), where he traded and practiced medicine. He later established a plantation in the Yodda Valley, west of Kokoda.
On 27th February 1942, lowering his age by eight years, Doc Vernon was commissioned in the Second AIF and posted to the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU). He listed J Dobbiun as his next-of-kin. [4] He worked as medical officer with the native workers, the famous Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, who did so much and sacrificed so much to assist Australian soldiers against the invading Japanese Imperial Army. Together with Captain Herbert Kienzle, a fellow plantation owner at Yodda, and nearing 60 years of age, Doc Vernon organised loadings, staging posts and distances, shelters, rations, etc, without which the Australian advance to Kokoda may not have been possible. [5] During part of the campaign he was attached to the 39th Infantry Battalion. His nephew, Philip Vernon, served as a Major in the 2/4th Armoured Regiment.
The war over and repatriation of native Papuans mostly complete, Doc was discharged from the Army on 3rd April 1946. [4] Doc Vernon passed away of tuberculosis and a stroke on 16th May 1946 at Samurai, near Milne Bay, and is buried nearby on Logea Island. He was 63 years of age. [6]
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Categories: Papua New Guinea | Hastings, Sussex | Migrants from Sussex to New South Wales | Sydney Church of England Grammar School, North Sydney, New South Wales | University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales | Australia, Doctors | Australian Army Medical Corps, Australian Imperial Force, World War I | 4th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force, World War I | 11th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force, World War I | Military Cross | Australian Army Medical Corps, Australian Army, World War II | Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit, World War II | 39th Infantry Battalion, Australian Army, World War II | Australia, Notables in the Military | Notables | Anzacs, World War I | Wounded in Action, Australia, World War I