John Hackett (British Army officer)

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For other people named John Hackett, see John Hackett (disambiguation).

Sir John Winthrop Hackett
Mentioned in Despatches
(6)
Other workUniversity administrator, author, commentator

CBE, DSO & Bar, MC (5 November 1910 – 9 September 1997) was an Australian-born British soldier
, painter, university administrator, author and in later life, a commentator.

Early life

Hackett, nicknamed "Shan", was born in

Trinity 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 was Deborah Drake-Brockman (1887-1965), whose parents were prominent members of Western Australian society. Her six siblings included Grace Bussell, famous for rescuing shipwreck survivors as a teenager, and Frederick 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 received

Greats and Modern History at New 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 the 8th 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]

Family

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).

Early career

He served in

mentioned in despatches in 1936,[1] and then with the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force from 1937 to 1941, when he was mentioned in despatches.[1]

Second World War

King George VI inspects paratroops of 1st Airborne Division, 16 March 1944. Standing just a bit behind the King, with swagger stick and maroon beret, is Brigadier "Shan" Hackett, commanding the 4th Parachute Brigade, while Lieutenant Colonel K. B. I. Smyth, commanding the 10th Parachute Battalion and in maroon beret, stands just in front of him.

Hackett fought in the

Syria-Lebanon campaign: he was wounded and was awarded the Military 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 the

battles for Sidi Rezegh airfield. He was severely burnt when escaping the stricken vehicle.[8] Whilst recuperating at GHQ in Cairo, he was instrumental in the formation of the Long Range Desert Group, the Special Air Service and Popski's Private Army.[1]

In 1944, Hackett raised and commanded the 4th Parachute Brigade for the Allied assault on Arnhem, in Operation Market Garden. At the battle of Arnhem, 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 a lethal injection to Hackett because he thought that the case was hopeless.[9]: 27  However, he was operated on by Alexander Lipmann-Kessel, who, with superb surgery, managed to save the brigadier's life.[9]: 44 

St Elizabeth Hospital

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 from Ede, 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 of the 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 book I Was A Stranger, published in 1977. He received his second Distinguished Service Order for his service at Arnhem.[1]

Later Army Career

He returned to Palestine during the

major-general, assumed command of the 7th Armoured Division.[1] In 1958, he became Commandant of the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham, and was promoted to lieutenant-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 to Ministry of Defence as Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff (DCIGS), responsible for forces organisation and weapon development and became the leading figure in the reorganisation of the Territorial Army (TA), which made him unpopular. He relinquished his appointment on 4 February 1966.[12]

On 14 April 1966, he was appointed command of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) and the parallel command of NATO's Northern Army Group, and his ability to speak several languages made him a natural choice, as did his friendship with foreign soldiers such as Johann von Kielmansegg of the Bundeswehr.[13]

In 1968 he wrote a highly controversial letter to The Times that was critical of the British 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]

Retirement

After his retirement from the army, Hackett continued to be active in several areas. From 1968 to 1975, he was Principal of

King's College, London. In 1978, he wrote a novel, The Third World War: August 1985, which was a fictionalized scenario of the Third World War based on a Red Army invasion of West Germany in 1985. It was followed in 1982 by The Third World War: The Untold Story, which elaborated on the original, including more detail from a Soviet perspective. American author Max Brooks cited Hackett's novels as one source of inspiration for his novel World War Z.[14]

Decorations

Hackett's

Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Service Order and Bar, Military Cross. His obituary in The Times called him a man of "intellect and prodigious courage."[15]

Bibliography

Dates may not be reliable and are for guidance only.

Honours and awards

Coat of arms of John Hackett
Notes
Confirmed by
Ulster King of Arms, 30 July 1907.[16]
Crest
On a wreath of the colours an eagle displayed with two heads per pale Azure and Gules between the heads a trefoil slipped Vert.
Escutcheon
Quarterly 1st & 4th Azure three hakes haurient fesswise Argent (Hackett 1508) 2nd & 3rd Gules three hakets Argent (Hackett 1639).
Motto
Mon Esperance Est En Dieu
18 September 1994, John Hackett receives a medal of honour in Ede, the Netherlands

Sources:[1][7][17][18]

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
(GCB)		 1967
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 1962[19]
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) 1958
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(CBE)		 1953[20]
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) 1938
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order and Bar (DSO and Bar) 1942[21]
Bar 1945[22]
Military Cross (MC) 1941[23]
General Service Medal with palm for
Mentioned in Despatches

Clasp 'Palestine'
1939–45 Star
Africa Star
Italy Star
France and Germany Star
Defence Medal
War Medal 1939–1945 with palm for
Mentioned in Despatches
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953

Hackett was also

mentioned in despatches
six times:

1) 1936 Palestine
2) 1937 "Trans-Jordan Frontier Force"
3) 1937 "Trans-Jordan Frontier Force"
4) 1944 Italy[24]
5) 1945 Arnhem[25]
6) 1949 Palestine

Sources

  • The Biography of General Sir John "Shan" Hackett GCB DSO MC, by Roy Fullick 2003,
    ISBN 0-85052-975-1

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "John Winthrop Hackett Junior (1910–1997)". historyofwar.org.
  2. ^ Lyall Hunt (1983) 'Hackett, Sir John Winthrop (1848–1916)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, (MUP).
  3. ^ Alexandra Hasluck (1983) 'Hackett, Deborah Vernon (1887–1965)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, (MUP)
  4. ^ Elizabeth Kwan (1986) 'Moulden, Sir Frank Beaumont (1876–1932)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, (MUP)
  5. Aurum Press
    , 2005, p18
  6. ^ Barker, Dennis. 'Obituary – General Sir John Hackett' Archived 1 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian (Manchester), 10 September 1997, p. 15.
  7. ^
    TracesOfWar.com
  8. ISBN 1-873203-17-9
    p159
  9. ^
    ISBN 0-395-27087-1
    .
  10. ^ "King's Collections : Archive Catalogues : Military Archives". kcl.ac.uk.
  11. ^ "No. 42683". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 1962. p. 4309.
  12. ^ "No. 43892". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 February 1966. p. 1397.
  13. ^ "No. 43950". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 April 1966. p. 4389.
  14. ISBN 978-0-307-88868-6
    .
  15. ^ Obituary: General Sir John Hackett The Times, September 1997 [dead link]
  16. ^ "Grants and Confirmations of Arms Vol. J". National Library of Ireland. 1898. p. 406. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  17. ^ General Sir John Winthrop Hackett, GCB, CBE, DSO, MC, MA, D.Litt, ParaData: The history of the Parachute Regiment, www.paradata.org.uk
  18. ^ Hackett, John Winthrop "Shan" (Service number: 52752), tracesofwar.com
  19. ^ Knight Commander of the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, London Gazette, 25 May 1962
  20. ^ Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Supplement to the London Gazette, 1 June 1953
  21. ^ Distinguished Service Order, Supplement to The London Gazette, Tuesday 11 August 1942, Issue 35665, dated 13 August 1942
  22. ^ Bar to Distinguished Service Order, Supplement to The London Gazette, Tuesday 22 May 1945, Issue 37091, dated 24 May 1945
  23. ^ Military Cross: Third Supplement to The London Gazette, Friday 17 October 1941, Issue 35316, dated 21 October 1941
  24. ^ M.I.D. (Italy): Supplement to The London Gazette Issue 36668 published on 22 August 1944
  25. ^ M.I.D. (Arnhem): Supplement to The London Gazette Issue 37274 published on 18 September 1945

External links

Obituaries

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
Sir Charles Harington
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
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