Verney Asser (SN 296), at enrolment, declared himself to have been born in Ballarat, listing himself as a 28 year old porter. He enlisted on March 1st 1916 in Egypt after having been found as a stowaway on the troopship Maiwa, declaring his next of kin as "brother, 5 Perry St. Ballarat". It appears he may have been a deserter from a previous enlistment. He was posted to the Australian Army Service Corps and served for a time on the Western Front before being withdrawn to England with gastritis and debility. His service record is dotted with discipline issues but the most serious was on November 27th 1917 when he was charged with the murder of another Australian soldier, Joseph Durkin. During his trial he revealed a background of mental health and alcoholism issues and that his true name was James Nugent, born in England. He was found guilty by a Civil Court, and on March 5th 1918 he was executed at Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset and buried in an unmarked grave in the prison grounds. No next of kin could be traced. He was awarded no medals and is not included on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial, but someone put his name forward for inclusion in the Ballarat Avenue of Honour. His name was added to the Brookwood Memorial, U.K., in 2010.