Sir John Hackett | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | "Shan" |
| Born | (1910-11-05)5 November 1910 Perth, Western Australia |
| Died | 9 September 1997(1997-09-09) (aged 86) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1933–1968 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 52752 |
| Unit | 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars |
| Commands | British Army of the Rhine (1966–1968) Northern Army Group (1966–1968) Northern Ireland Command (1961–1963) Royal Military College of Science (1958–1961) 7th Armoured Division (1956–1958) 20th Armoured Brigade (1954–1955) Trans-Jordanian Frontier Force (1947–1948) 4th Parachute Brigade (1943–1944) |
| Battles / wars | Arab revolt in Palestine Second World War Palestine Emergency |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order &Bar Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches (6) |
| Other work | University administrator, author, commentator |
GeneralSir John Winthrop Hackett,GCB, CBE, DSO &Bar, MC (5 November 1910 – 9 September 1997) was an Australian-bornBritish soldier, painter, university administrator, author and in later life, a commentator.
Hackett, nicknamed "Shan", was born inPerth, Western Australia. HisIrish Australian father, also namedSir John Winthrop Hackett (1848–1916), originally fromCounty Tipperary,[1] was educated atTrinity College, Dublin (B.A., 1871; M.A., 1874), and he emigrated to Australia in 1875, eventually settling in Western Australia in 1882, where he became a newspaper proprietor and editor and a politician.[2] His mother wasDeborah Drake-Brockman (1887-1965), whose parents were prominent members of Western Australian society. Her six siblings includedGrace Bussell, famous for rescuing shipwreck survivors as a teenager, andFrederick Slade Drake-Brockman, a prominent surveyor and explorer.
On 3 August 1905, aged 57, Hackett Sr married Deborah Drake-Brockman, who was only 18 at the time — she later became Deborah, Lady Hackett; Deborah, Lady Moulden; and Deborah Buller Murphy — having married a director of several mining companies.[3] They had four daughters and a son. Hackett senior died in 1916. Lady Hackett remarried in 1918.[4]
Hackett junior receivedsecondary schooling atGeelong Grammar School inVictoria and then travelled to London to study painting at theCentral School of Art. He then studiedGreats and Modern History atNew College, Oxford, earning an M.A. As his degree was not good enough for an academic career, Hackett joined the British Army and was commissioned into the8th King's Royal Irish Hussars in 1933, having previously joined the Supplementary Reserve of Officers in 1931.[5] During his military training, he completed a thesis in history with a focus on the crusades and the Early Middle Ages, particularly Saladin's campaign in the Third Crusade, for which he was awarded a B. Litt. He also qualified as an interpreter in French, German and Italian, studied Arabic and eventually became fluent in ten languages.[6][7]
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He married Margaret Frena, daughter of Joseph Peter Frena, in Jerusalem Cathedral on 21 March 1942. Margaret outlived Hackett by a decade, dying on 14 May 2007. They had one child, Susan Veronica Hackett (20 May 1945 – December 1992).
He served inPalestine during theArab revolt, where he wasmentioned in despatches in 1936,[1] and then with the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force from 1937 to 1941, when he was mentioned in despatches.[1]
Hackett fought in theBritish Army in theSecond World WarSyria-Lebanon campaign: he was wounded and was awarded theMilitary Cross.[1] During his recovery in Palestine, he met Margaret Fena, the Austrian widow of a German. Despite the difficulties caused by her nationality, they married in Jerusalem in 1942.[7]
In theNorth African campaign, he commanded 'C' Squadron of the 8th Hussars (his parent unit) and was wounded again when hisM3 Stuart tank was hit during thebattles for Sidi Rezegh airfield. He was severely burnt when escaping the stricken vehicle.[8] Whilst recuperating at GHQ inCairo, he was instrumental in the formation of theLong Range Desert Group, theSpecial Air Service andPopski's Private Army.[1]
In 1944, Hackett raised and commanded the4th Parachute Brigade for the Alliedassault on Arnhem, inOperation Market Garden. At the battle ofArnhem,Brigadier Hackett was severely wounded in the stomach, captured and then taken to the St. Elizabeth Hospital in Arnhem. A German doctor at the hospital wanted to administer alethal injection to Hackett because he thought that the case was hopeless.[9]: 27 However, he was operated on byAlexander Lipmann-Kessel, who, with superb surgery, managed to save the brigadier's life.[9]: 44
After a period of recuperation, he managed to escape with the help of the Dutch underground. Although he was unfit to be moved, the Germans were about to move him to a prisoner-of-war camp. He was taken by 'Piet van Arnhem', a resistance worker fromEde, and driven to Ede. Hackett had extra bloody bandages applied to heighten the severity of his injuries. After leaving the hospital, Arnhem told the checkpoint they were taking Hackett to hospital, and were let through despite the hospital being in the opposite direction from which they had just come.[9]: 39
Hackett was hidden by a Dutch family, called de Nooij, who lived at No. 5 Torenstraat in Ede. The family nursed the brigadier back to health over a period of several months; he then managed to escape to the Allied lines with the help ofthe underground. He remained friends with the de Nooijs for the rest of their lives and visited immediately after they were liberated, bearing gifts. Hackett wrote about the experience in his bookI Was A Stranger, published in 1977. He received his secondDistinguished Service Order for his service at Arnhem.[1]
He returned to Palestine during thePalestine Emergency in 1947 where he assumed command of theTransjordan Frontier Force. Under his direction, the force was disbanded, as part of the British withdrawal from the region.[1] He attended university atGraz, as a postgraduate in post-mediaeval studies and, after returning to the United Kingdom, he attended theStaff College, Camberley in 1951. After this, he was appointed to command the20th Armoured Brigade and, on being promoted tomajor-general, assumed command of the7th Armoured Division.[1] In 1958, he became Commandant of theRoyal Military College of Science atShrivenham, and was promoted tolieutenant-general in 1961.[1] He became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C),Northern Ireland Command, in 1961[10] and was knighted (KCB) on 2 June 1962.[11] In 1963, he was appointed toMinistry of Defence asDeputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff (DCIGS), responsible for forces organisation and weapon development and became the leading figure in the reorganisation of theTerritorial Army (TA), which made him unpopular. He relinquished his appointment on 4 February 1966.[12]
On 14 April 1966, he was appointed command of theBritish Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and the parallel command ofNATO'sNorthern Army Group, and his ability to speak several languages made him a natural choice, as did his friendship with foreign soldiers such asJohann von Kielmansegg of theBundeswehr.[13]
In 1968 he wrote a highly controversial letter toThe Times that was critical of theBritish government's apparent lack of concern over the strength of NATO forces in Europe but signed the letter as a NATO officer, not as a British commander.[1]
After his retirement from the army, Hackett continued to be active in several areas. From 1968 to 1975, he was Principal ofKing's College, London. He was the president in 1971 of theClassical Association and in 1973 of theEnglish Association.[14] In 1978, he wrote a novel,The Third World War: August 1985, which was a fictionalized scenario of theThird World War based on aRed Army invasion ofWest Germany in 1985. It was followed in 1982 byThe Third World War: The Untold Story, which elaborated on the original, including more detail from a Soviet perspective. American authorMax Brooks cited Hackett's novels as one source of inspiration for his novelWorld War Z.[15] Hackett also appeared in the documentaryIn Search of the Trojan War, where he describedThe Iliad as "a story aboutthe sort of people I know."
Hackett's(British) military decorations included the Knight Grand Cross of the Bath,Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire,Distinguished Service Order and Bar,Military Cross. Hisobituary inThe Times called him a man of "intellect and prodigious courage."[16]
Dates may not be reliable and are for guidance only.
|
 | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) | 1967 |
| Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) | 1962[20] | |
| Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) | 1958 | |
_Ribbon.png) | Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) | 1953[21] |
| Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) | 1938 | |
 | Companion of the Distinguished Service Order and Bar (DSO and Bar) | 1942[22] Bar 1945[23] |
 | Military Cross (MC) | 1941[24] |
 | General Service Medal | with palm forMentioned in Despatches Clasp 'Palestine' |
 | 1939–45 Star | |
 | Africa Star | |
 | Italy Star | |
 | France and Germany Star | |
 | Defence Medal | |
 | War Medal 1939–1945 | with palm forMentioned in Despatches |
 | Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal | 1953 |
Hackett was alsomentioned in despatches six times:
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | GOC 7th Armoured Division 1956–1958 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commandant of the Royal Military College of Science 1958–1961 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GOC British Army in Northern Ireland 1961–1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1963–1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | C-in-C of the British Army of the Rhine 1966–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Principal of King's College, London 1968–1975 | Succeeded by |
