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.

[8] 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".

[9] 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.

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.

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.

[1] In Greece, Honner led his men through a series of fighting withdrawals as they were pushed back by stronger German forces.

[15][16] 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.

[1] 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.

[3] 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,[3] who were involved in a desperate campaign against the Japanese forces fighting along the Kokoda Track.

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.

After reforming on the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, they were subsequently disbanded on 3 July 1943,[21][22] as the decision was made to redistribute the battalion's personnel to reinforce other units.

[23] 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.