The Sergeant Frederick Hobson VC Armory in downtown Simcoe commemorates an act of bravery under fire in the First World War by Norfolk County's only recipient of the Victoria Cross for bravery. 

Sgt. Hobson was honored posthumously for single-handedly defending a vital trench and his comrades after their unit's Lewis gun malfunctioned during a critical battle near Lens, France, on August 18, 1917. He killed numerous German soldiers in brutal hand-to-hand combat, but was shot dead before reinforcements could repulse the enemy. The Hobson name has identified the structure since 1986, when historical research by the resident 56th Field Regiment turned up his exploits. 

Built in 1913, the Armory has served as a recruiting base for active service in two world wars and as headquarters for area militia units and cadet corps in peacetime. Its future remains uncertain under Defence Department plans to decommission ageing armouries across the country.