Val Hancock was born in Perth on 31 May 1907 and was educated at Hale School. He entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1925 and graduated in 1928, being presented with the Sword of Honour for exemplary conduct, leadership and performance of duty. In 1929 he was seconded to the RAAF and trained as a pilot at Point Cook.
During the Second World War he commanded No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School, served on air staff in the South West Pacific, and in 1945 he commanded No. 100 Squadron, flying Beauforts, and then No. 71 Wing in the Aitape–Wewak campaign. In 1946 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After the war, in 1947 he became the first commandant of the RAAF College at Point Cook, Victoria. He later served as Air Member for Personnel, commanded No. 224 Group RAF in Malaya, and led RAAF Operational Command. He was Chief of the Air Staff from 29 May 1961 until May 1965, and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1962.
In retirement he was Commissioner-General for Australia at Expo 67 in Montreal, and he co-founded the Australian Defence Association, becoming the inaugural chair of the Western Australian chapter. He published his autobiography, Challenge, in 1990. He died in Perth on 29 September 1998, aged 91.
In 2024, at the behest of Mrs Gina Rinehart AO, Hancock Prospecting purchased and refurbished a property in South Perth, naming the property Sir Valston Hancock House after her late uncle. The property is operated by the Air Force Association WA and offers accommodation to Western Australian veterans who are struggling to find accommodation and are at risk of homelessness.
Story courtesy of Deanna Nott
