Australian General. Sir Frank Hassett was born in Marrickville, Sydney, Australia to John Francis Hassett and Alice May Hanslow.
Hassett graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon and served in the Australian Defense Force during World War II. He commanded 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment during the Korean War, earning the Distinguished Service Order award for his leadership in the Battle of Maryang Sang. In 1973, he became Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Defence Force Staff in 1975.
Hassett was married to Margaret Hallie Spencer on 18 May 1946, at St. James Church, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and they had four children.
--------------------------------------------
Sources:
-obituary, The Courier-Mail [Brisbane, Aus.] (June 14, 2008)
-obituary, "Former defence chief, Sir Francis Hassett dead at 90," The Australian (June 14, 2008)
-eulogy, "Address by His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, On the Occasion of Eulogy for General Sir Francis Hassett, ANZAC Memorial Chapel, Duntroon, Canberra" (June 17, 2008)
-obituary, The Guardian (June 19, 2008)
-obituary, The Age [Melbourne, Aus.] (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "A brilliant, inspiring leader of men under fire," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "Duty first for leader of courage and skill," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "General Sir Francis Hassett: Australian defence forces' Commander," The Times (July 4, 2008)
--------------------------------------------
At the outbreak of the Second World War he was posted to the 2/3rd Battalion of the 6th Division as Adjutant and sailed with the division for the Middle East on 10th January 1940. He disembarked in Egypt a little over a month later in preparation for service in the North African Campaign. After further training in Palestine and Egypt, the battalion took part in an attack on the Italian coastal fortress of Bardia. Two weeks later, the 2/3rd Battalion was to take part in the capture of Tobruk by the 6th Division. Tasked with laying white tapes for a start-line on the eve of the attack, Hassett found a weak point in the Italian front line, where he proceeded to lay the tapes. In a desperate effort to complete the task before dawn, he began to walk instead of crawling and prodding for mines; one duly blew up, with Hassett suffering shrapnel wounds to his foot. He was subsequently mentioned in Despatches for his actions. Having recovered he was sent to the British Army Staff College at Haifa and then promoted to major. Shortly afterwards he was posted as Brigade Major to the 18th Brigade in Syria.
When Japan entered the war, Hassett planned and controlled the brigade's embarkation from Suez and return to Australia, learning on his arrival that he had been promoted to lieutenant colonel. At 23 he was the youngest army officer to attain that rank. Postings - usually training appointments - in New South Wales, Queensland and New Guinea followed. By the end of the Second World War, he was chief of staff to the 3rd Division conducting operations against the Japanese forces on the island of Bougainville, without having an operational command. For his services in the Pacific, Hassett was again Mentioned in Despatches and awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
It was only after retirement that he mentioned an event that took place at the end of the war which he said demonstrated the fool hardiness of youth. The Japanese surrendered before a planned attack by the Australians was to take place. The information was that the Japanese were weakened and disheartened and it was assumed that it would be an easy victory. Hassett decided to have a look and taking off with just a pilot landed behind Japanese lines. He was there without permission and was horrified to find that the Japanese were well fed, well armed and extremely angry at being forced to surrender. They thought he was there to take the surrender and this duly happened with Hassett hastening back to the plane after the ceremony, being well aware that a promising career would be at an end if he were discovered. In his haste to depart he swung the propeller too hard and the plane hit the ground damaging the propeller. The pilot shaved it down enabling the aircraft to take off - but without its passenger who sat on the runway for some hours contemplating his impetuousness.
As a result of his World War II service, Hassett was also awarded the 1939-1945 Star, the Africa Star, the Pacific Star, the Defence Medal the War Medal 1939-1945 (with oakleaf for Mention in Despatches and the Australia Service Medal 1939-45.
Hassett returned to Australia at the end of the war and worked as an instructor at the Australian Staff College in Toowoomba. On the 18th May 1946 he married Hallie Roberts, a stunningly attractive, gregarious and popular young woman, who was to play a large part in his later success. In 1948 he was posted as General Staff Officer (GSO) 1 to the 2nd Division, remaining there until March 1951 when he took command of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). Three months later he was sent to Korea to assume command of 3RAR. He led the battalion through some of the toughest fighting of the war, which reached its peak in October-December 1951 in Operation Commando. Hassett is best remembered for his achievements in command of an under-strength battalion at Maryang San, regarded as perhaps the single greatest feat of arms by the Australian Army in the Korean War. For his leadership and planning during the battle, Hassett received an immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order. He was considered by his men to be an inspirational leader. The sight of his tall, erect figure calmly directing fire support filled his men with confidence. He often appeared at critical points under fire exposing himself to artillery, mortar and small arms fire.
As a result of his Korean service, Hassett was also awarded the Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975, the Korean Medal and the United Nations Korea Medal. After returning from Korea in July 1952, he was posted as the Director of Military Art at the Royal Military College Duntroon. In 1954, Hassett served as a marshal for Queen Elizabeth II's world tour and was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for his service.
Promoted to Brigadier in 1960, he was appointed to command the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group in Malaya, conducting counter-insurgency operations. During this time, he also led participation in regional exercises with Thailand and contributed to development in tropical warfare and counter-insurgency. Realising that the French and South Vietnamese had failed in Indo-China because of outdated tactics, Hassett set up models of runways and Viet Minh villages for training purposes, and so impressed General Sir Walter Walker, who forcefully declared that, as a brigade commander, Hassett was "in a class of his own".
Upon leaving Malaya in 1963, he attended the Imperial Defence College in London, before returning to Canberra as Deputy Chief of the General Staff with the rank of major general. In February 1966 he was posted to London as head of the Australian Joint Services Staff and as a gentleman usher to the Queen. He was appointed General Officer in Command of Australia's Northern Command in 1968 and in 1970 was selected to lead the Army Review Committee, which became more colloquially known as the "Hassett Committee".
The committee's far reaching reforms included moving from a geographical to a functional command system, which involved in part the replacement of the various State Army Command Headquarters with a national field force, training and logistics command system. In 1971 he was promoted to Vice Chief of the General Staff and tasked with implementing the organisational reforms he had initiated, as well as supervising the end of conscription, the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam and the consequential organisation changes brought about be a reduction in Army manpower.
In 1973, Hassett was promoted to lieutenant general and made Chief of the General Staff. Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1975, he was promoted to general in November and became Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, the professional head of the Australian Military. When the Australian Defence Force was established on 9 February 1976 Hassett assumed the new appointment of Chief of the Defence Force Staff, which expanded his authority over the three services and made him the ADF's first commander. In June 1976, Hassett was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The untimely and tragic death of his eldest son in a car accident in 1974 affected him deeply and contributed to existing health issues. He resigned from the Army on medical grounds on 20th April 1977. Following his retirement, he and Lady Hassett settled into farming near Canberra. He was later appointed colonel commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment. In 2006 the Hassett Award was established in order to annually honour junior leadership within the Regiment.
General Sir Francis Hassett died at home on 11 June 2008. He left behind his wife, Hallie and three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Three of his grandsons followed him into military life and shortly before he died his eldest grandson, after deployments to Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, was selected to attend the United States of America Staff College, the American equivalent of the British Imperial Defence College his grandfather attended.
- biography, LyndalBassingthwaighte, posted on Ancestry.com (Aug. 15, 2009)
--------------------------------------------
General Francis George Hassett | The Australian War Memorial
Essex-Clark, John. Hassett: Australian Leader. Australian Military History Publications, 2005.
Frank Hassett - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Hassett graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon and served in the Australian Defense Force during World War II. He commanded 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment during the Korean War, earning the Distinguished Service Order award for his leadership in the Battle of Maryang Sang. In 1973, he became Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Defence Force Staff in 1975.
Hassett was married to Margaret Hallie Spencer on 18 May 1946, at St. James Church, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and they had four children.
--------------------------------------------
Sources:
-obituary, The Courier-Mail [Brisbane, Aus.] (June 14, 2008)
-obituary, "Former defence chief, Sir Francis Hassett dead at 90," The Australian (June 14, 2008)
-eulogy, "Address by His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, On the Occasion of Eulogy for General Sir Francis Hassett, ANZAC Memorial Chapel, Duntroon, Canberra" (June 17, 2008)
-obituary, The Guardian (June 19, 2008)
-obituary, The Age [Melbourne, Aus.] (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "A brilliant, inspiring leader of men under fire," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "Duty first for leader of courage and skill," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "General Sir Francis Hassett: Australian defence forces' Commander," The Times (July 4, 2008)
--------------------------------------------
At the outbreak of the Second World War he was posted to the 2/3rd Battalion of the 6th Division as Adjutant and sailed with the division for the Middle East on 10th January 1940. He disembarked in Egypt a little over a month later in preparation for service in the North African Campaign. After further training in Palestine and Egypt, the battalion took part in an attack on the Italian coastal fortress of Bardia. Two weeks later, the 2/3rd Battalion was to take part in the capture of Tobruk by the 6th Division. Tasked with laying white tapes for a start-line on the eve of the attack, Hassett found a weak point in the Italian front line, where he proceeded to lay the tapes. In a desperate effort to complete the task before dawn, he began to walk instead of crawling and prodding for mines; one duly blew up, with Hassett suffering shrapnel wounds to his foot. He was subsequently mentioned in Despatches for his actions. Having recovered he was sent to the British Army Staff College at Haifa and then promoted to major. Shortly afterwards he was posted as Brigade Major to the 18th Brigade in Syria.
When Japan entered the war, Hassett planned and controlled the brigade's embarkation from Suez and return to Australia, learning on his arrival that he had been promoted to lieutenant colonel. At 23 he was the youngest army officer to attain that rank. Postings - usually training appointments - in New South Wales, Queensland and New Guinea followed. By the end of the Second World War, he was chief of staff to the 3rd Division conducting operations against the Japanese forces on the island of Bougainville, without having an operational command. For his services in the Pacific, Hassett was again Mentioned in Despatches and awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
It was only after retirement that he mentioned an event that took place at the end of the war which he said demonstrated the fool hardiness of youth. The Japanese surrendered before a planned attack by the Australians was to take place. The information was that the Japanese were weakened and disheartened and it was assumed that it would be an easy victory. Hassett decided to have a look and taking off with just a pilot landed behind Japanese lines. He was there without permission and was horrified to find that the Japanese were well fed, well armed and extremely angry at being forced to surrender. They thought he was there to take the surrender and this duly happened with Hassett hastening back to the plane after the ceremony, being well aware that a promising career would be at an end if he were discovered. In his haste to depart he swung the propeller too hard and the plane hit the ground damaging the propeller. The pilot shaved it down enabling the aircraft to take off - but without its passenger who sat on the runway for some hours contemplating his impetuousness.
As a result of his World War II service, Hassett was also awarded the 1939-1945 Star, the Africa Star, the Pacific Star, the Defence Medal the War Medal 1939-1945 (with oakleaf for Mention in Despatches and the Australia Service Medal 1939-45.
Hassett returned to Australia at the end of the war and worked as an instructor at the Australian Staff College in Toowoomba. On the 18th May 1946 he married Hallie Roberts, a stunningly attractive, gregarious and popular young woman, who was to play a large part in his later success. In 1948 he was posted as General Staff Officer (GSO) 1 to the 2nd Division, remaining there until March 1951 when he took command of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). Three months later he was sent to Korea to assume command of 3RAR. He led the battalion through some of the toughest fighting of the war, which reached its peak in October-December 1951 in Operation Commando. Hassett is best remembered for his achievements in command of an under-strength battalion at Maryang San, regarded as perhaps the single greatest feat of arms by the Australian Army in the Korean War. For his leadership and planning during the battle, Hassett received an immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order. He was considered by his men to be an inspirational leader. The sight of his tall, erect figure calmly directing fire support filled his men with confidence. He often appeared at critical points under fire exposing himself to artillery, mortar and small arms fire.
As a result of his Korean service, Hassett was also awarded the Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975, the Korean Medal and the United Nations Korea Medal. After returning from Korea in July 1952, he was posted as the Director of Military Art at the Royal Military College Duntroon. In 1954, Hassett served as a marshal for Queen Elizabeth II's world tour and was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for his service.
Promoted to Brigadier in 1960, he was appointed to command the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group in Malaya, conducting counter-insurgency operations. During this time, he also led participation in regional exercises with Thailand and contributed to development in tropical warfare and counter-insurgency. Realising that the French and South Vietnamese had failed in Indo-China because of outdated tactics, Hassett set up models of runways and Viet Minh villages for training purposes, and so impressed General Sir Walter Walker, who forcefully declared that, as a brigade commander, Hassett was "in a class of his own".
Upon leaving Malaya in 1963, he attended the Imperial Defence College in London, before returning to Canberra as Deputy Chief of the General Staff with the rank of major general. In February 1966 he was posted to London as head of the Australian Joint Services Staff and as a gentleman usher to the Queen. He was appointed General Officer in Command of Australia's Northern Command in 1968 and in 1970 was selected to lead the Army Review Committee, which became more colloquially known as the "Hassett Committee".
The committee's far reaching reforms included moving from a geographical to a functional command system, which involved in part the replacement of the various State Army Command Headquarters with a national field force, training and logistics command system. In 1971 he was promoted to Vice Chief of the General Staff and tasked with implementing the organisational reforms he had initiated, as well as supervising the end of conscription, the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam and the consequential organisation changes brought about be a reduction in Army manpower.
In 1973, Hassett was promoted to lieutenant general and made Chief of the General Staff. Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1975, he was promoted to general in November and became Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, the professional head of the Australian Military. When the Australian Defence Force was established on 9 February 1976 Hassett assumed the new appointment of Chief of the Defence Force Staff, which expanded his authority over the three services and made him the ADF's first commander. In June 1976, Hassett was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The untimely and tragic death of his eldest son in a car accident in 1974 affected him deeply and contributed to existing health issues. He resigned from the Army on medical grounds on 20th April 1977. Following his retirement, he and Lady Hassett settled into farming near Canberra. He was later appointed colonel commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment. In 2006 the Hassett Award was established in order to annually honour junior leadership within the Regiment.
General Sir Francis Hassett died at home on 11 June 2008. He left behind his wife, Hallie and three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Three of his grandsons followed him into military life and shortly before he died his eldest grandson, after deployments to Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, was selected to attend the United States of America Staff College, the American equivalent of the British Imperial Defence College his grandfather attended.
- biography, LyndalBassingthwaighte, posted on Ancestry.com (Aug. 15, 2009)
--------------------------------------------
General Francis George Hassett | The Australian War Memorial
Essex-Clark, John. Hassett: Australian Leader. Australian Military History Publications, 2005.
Frank Hassett - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Australian General. Sir Frank Hassett was born in Marrickville, Sydney, Australia to John Francis Hassett and Alice May Hanslow.
Hassett graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon and served in the Australian Defense Force during World War II. He commanded 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment during the Korean War, earning the Distinguished Service Order award for his leadership in the Battle of Maryang Sang. In 1973, he became Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Defence Force Staff in 1975.
Hassett was married to Margaret Hallie Spencer on 18 May 1946, at St. James Church, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and they had four children.
--------------------------------------------
Sources:
-obituary, The Courier-Mail [Brisbane, Aus.] (June 14, 2008)
-obituary, "Former defence chief, Sir Francis Hassett dead at 90," The Australian (June 14, 2008)
-eulogy, "Address by His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, On the Occasion of Eulogy for General Sir Francis Hassett, ANZAC Memorial Chapel, Duntroon, Canberra" (June 17, 2008)
-obituary, The Guardian (June 19, 2008)
-obituary, The Age [Melbourne, Aus.] (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "A brilliant, inspiring leader of men under fire," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "Duty first for leader of courage and skill," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "General Sir Francis Hassett: Australian defence forces' Commander," The Times (July 4, 2008)
--------------------------------------------
At the outbreak of the Second World War he was posted to the 2/3rd Battalion of the 6th Division as Adjutant and sailed with the division for the Middle East on 10th January 1940. He disembarked in Egypt a little over a month later in preparation for service in the North African Campaign. After further training in Palestine and Egypt, the battalion took part in an attack on the Italian coastal fortress of Bardia. Two weeks later, the 2/3rd Battalion was to take part in the capture of Tobruk by the 6th Division. Tasked with laying white tapes for a start-line on the eve of the attack, Hassett found a weak point in the Italian front line, where he proceeded to lay the tapes. In a desperate effort to complete the task before dawn, he began to walk instead of crawling and prodding for mines; one duly blew up, with Hassett suffering shrapnel wounds to his foot. He was subsequently mentioned in Despatches for his actions. Having recovered he was sent to the British Army Staff College at Haifa and then promoted to major. Shortly afterwards he was posted as Brigade Major to the 18th Brigade in Syria.
When Japan entered the war, Hassett planned and controlled the brigade's embarkation from Suez and return to Australia, learning on his arrival that he had been promoted to lieutenant colonel. At 23 he was the youngest army officer to attain that rank. Postings - usually training appointments - in New South Wales, Queensland and New Guinea followed. By the end of the Second World War, he was chief of staff to the 3rd Division conducting operations against the Japanese forces on the island of Bougainville, without having an operational command. For his services in the Pacific, Hassett was again Mentioned in Despatches and awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
It was only after retirement that he mentioned an event that took place at the end of the war which he said demonstrated the fool hardiness of youth. The Japanese surrendered before a planned attack by the Australians was to take place. The information was that the Japanese were weakened and disheartened and it was assumed that it would be an easy victory. Hassett decided to have a look and taking off with just a pilot landed behind Japanese lines. He was there without permission and was horrified to find that the Japanese were well fed, well armed and extremely angry at being forced to surrender. They thought he was there to take the surrender and this duly happened with Hassett hastening back to the plane after the ceremony, being well aware that a promising career would be at an end if he were discovered. In his haste to depart he swung the propeller too hard and the plane hit the ground damaging the propeller. The pilot shaved it down enabling the aircraft to take off - but without its passenger who sat on the runway for some hours contemplating his impetuousness.
As a result of his World War II service, Hassett was also awarded the 1939-1945 Star, the Africa Star, the Pacific Star, the Defence Medal the War Medal 1939-1945 (with oakleaf for Mention in Despatches and the Australia Service Medal 1939-45.
Hassett returned to Australia at the end of the war and worked as an instructor at the Australian Staff College in Toowoomba. On the 18th May 1946 he married Hallie Roberts, a stunningly attractive, gregarious and popular young woman, who was to play a large part in his later success. In 1948 he was posted as General Staff Officer (GSO) 1 to the 2nd Division, remaining there until March 1951 when he took command of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). Three months later he was sent to Korea to assume command of 3RAR. He led the battalion through some of the toughest fighting of the war, which reached its peak in October-December 1951 in Operation Commando. Hassett is best remembered for his achievements in command of an under-strength battalion at Maryang San, regarded as perhaps the single greatest feat of arms by the Australian Army in the Korean War. For his leadership and planning during the battle, Hassett received an immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order. He was considered by his men to be an inspirational leader. The sight of his tall, erect figure calmly directing fire support filled his men with confidence. He often appeared at critical points under fire exposing himself to artillery, mortar and small arms fire.
As a result of his Korean service, Hassett was also awarded the Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975, the Korean Medal and the United Nations Korea Medal. After returning from Korea in July 1952, he was posted as the Director of Military Art at the Royal Military College Duntroon. In 1954, Hassett served as a marshal for Queen Elizabeth II's world tour and was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for his service.
Promoted to Brigadier in 1960, he was appointed to command the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group in Malaya, conducting counter-insurgency operations. During this time, he also led participation in regional exercises with Thailand and contributed to development in tropical warfare and counter-insurgency. Realising that the French and South Vietnamese had failed in Indo-China because of outdated tactics, Hassett set up models of runways and Viet Minh villages for training purposes, and so impressed General Sir Walter Walker, who forcefully declared that, as a brigade commander, Hassett was "in a class of his own".
Upon leaving Malaya in 1963, he attended the Imperial Defence College in London, before returning to Canberra as Deputy Chief of the General Staff with the rank of major general. In February 1966 he was posted to London as head of the Australian Joint Services Staff and as a gentleman usher to the Queen. He was appointed General Officer in Command of Australia's Northern Command in 1968 and in 1970 was selected to lead the Army Review Committee, which became more colloquially known as the "Hassett Committee".
The committee's far reaching reforms included moving from a geographical to a functional command system, which involved in part the replacement of the various State Army Command Headquarters with a national field force, training and logistics command system. In 1971 he was promoted to Vice Chief of the General Staff and tasked with implementing the organisational reforms he had initiated, as well as supervising the end of conscription, the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam and the consequential organisation changes brought about be a reduction in Army manpower.
In 1973, Hassett was promoted to lieutenant general and made Chief of the General Staff. Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1975, he was promoted to general in November and became Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, the professional head of the Australian Military. When the Australian Defence Force was established on 9 February 1976 Hassett assumed the new appointment of Chief of the Defence Force Staff, which expanded his authority over the three services and made him the ADF's first commander. In June 1976, Hassett was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The untimely and tragic death of his eldest son in a car accident in 1974 affected him deeply and contributed to existing health issues. He resigned from the Army on medical grounds on 20th April 1977. Following his retirement, he and Lady Hassett settled into farming near Canberra. He was later appointed colonel commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment. In 2006 the Hassett Award was established in order to annually honour junior leadership within the Regiment.
General Sir Francis Hassett died at home on 11 June 2008. He left behind his wife, Hallie and three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Three of his grandsons followed him into military life and shortly before he died his eldest grandson, after deployments to Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, was selected to attend the United States of America Staff College, the American equivalent of the British Imperial Defence College his grandfather attended.
- biography, LyndalBassingthwaighte, posted on Ancestry.com (Aug. 15, 2009)
--------------------------------------------
General Francis George Hassett | The Australian War Memorial
Essex-Clark, John. Hassett: Australian Leader. Australian Military History Publications, 2005.
Frank Hassett - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Hassett graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon and served in the Australian Defense Force during World War II. He commanded 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment during the Korean War, earning the Distinguished Service Order award for his leadership in the Battle of Maryang Sang. In 1973, he became Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the Defence Force Staff in 1975.
Hassett was married to Margaret Hallie Spencer on 18 May 1946, at St. James Church, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and they had four children.
--------------------------------------------
Sources:
-obituary, The Courier-Mail [Brisbane, Aus.] (June 14, 2008)
-obituary, "Former defence chief, Sir Francis Hassett dead at 90," The Australian (June 14, 2008)
-eulogy, "Address by His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, On the Occasion of Eulogy for General Sir Francis Hassett, ANZAC Memorial Chapel, Duntroon, Canberra" (June 17, 2008)
-obituary, The Guardian (June 19, 2008)
-obituary, The Age [Melbourne, Aus.] (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "A brilliant, inspiring leader of men under fire," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "Duty first for leader of courage and skill," Sydney Morning Herald (June 21, 2008)
-obituary, "General Sir Francis Hassett: Australian defence forces' Commander," The Times (July 4, 2008)
--------------------------------------------
At the outbreak of the Second World War he was posted to the 2/3rd Battalion of the 6th Division as Adjutant and sailed with the division for the Middle East on 10th January 1940. He disembarked in Egypt a little over a month later in preparation for service in the North African Campaign. After further training in Palestine and Egypt, the battalion took part in an attack on the Italian coastal fortress of Bardia. Two weeks later, the 2/3rd Battalion was to take part in the capture of Tobruk by the 6th Division. Tasked with laying white tapes for a start-line on the eve of the attack, Hassett found a weak point in the Italian front line, where he proceeded to lay the tapes. In a desperate effort to complete the task before dawn, he began to walk instead of crawling and prodding for mines; one duly blew up, with Hassett suffering shrapnel wounds to his foot. He was subsequently mentioned in Despatches for his actions. Having recovered he was sent to the British Army Staff College at Haifa and then promoted to major. Shortly afterwards he was posted as Brigade Major to the 18th Brigade in Syria.
When Japan entered the war, Hassett planned and controlled the brigade's embarkation from Suez and return to Australia, learning on his arrival that he had been promoted to lieutenant colonel. At 23 he was the youngest army officer to attain that rank. Postings - usually training appointments - in New South Wales, Queensland and New Guinea followed. By the end of the Second World War, he was chief of staff to the 3rd Division conducting operations against the Japanese forces on the island of Bougainville, without having an operational command. For his services in the Pacific, Hassett was again Mentioned in Despatches and awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
It was only after retirement that he mentioned an event that took place at the end of the war which he said demonstrated the fool hardiness of youth. The Japanese surrendered before a planned attack by the Australians was to take place. The information was that the Japanese were weakened and disheartened and it was assumed that it would be an easy victory. Hassett decided to have a look and taking off with just a pilot landed behind Japanese lines. He was there without permission and was horrified to find that the Japanese were well fed, well armed and extremely angry at being forced to surrender. They thought he was there to take the surrender and this duly happened with Hassett hastening back to the plane after the ceremony, being well aware that a promising career would be at an end if he were discovered. In his haste to depart he swung the propeller too hard and the plane hit the ground damaging the propeller. The pilot shaved it down enabling the aircraft to take off - but without its passenger who sat on the runway for some hours contemplating his impetuousness.
As a result of his World War II service, Hassett was also awarded the 1939-1945 Star, the Africa Star, the Pacific Star, the Defence Medal the War Medal 1939-1945 (with oakleaf for Mention in Despatches and the Australia Service Medal 1939-45.
Hassett returned to Australia at the end of the war and worked as an instructor at the Australian Staff College in Toowoomba. On the 18th May 1946 he married Hallie Roberts, a stunningly attractive, gregarious and popular young woman, who was to play a large part in his later success. In 1948 he was posted as General Staff Officer (GSO) 1 to the 2nd Division, remaining there until March 1951 when he took command of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). Three months later he was sent to Korea to assume command of 3RAR. He led the battalion through some of the toughest fighting of the war, which reached its peak in October-December 1951 in Operation Commando. Hassett is best remembered for his achievements in command of an under-strength battalion at Maryang San, regarded as perhaps the single greatest feat of arms by the Australian Army in the Korean War. For his leadership and planning during the battle, Hassett received an immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order. He was considered by his men to be an inspirational leader. The sight of his tall, erect figure calmly directing fire support filled his men with confidence. He often appeared at critical points under fire exposing himself to artillery, mortar and small arms fire.
As a result of his Korean service, Hassett was also awarded the Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975, the Korean Medal and the United Nations Korea Medal. After returning from Korea in July 1952, he was posted as the Director of Military Art at the Royal Military College Duntroon. In 1954, Hassett served as a marshal for Queen Elizabeth II's world tour and was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order for his service.
Promoted to Brigadier in 1960, he was appointed to command the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group in Malaya, conducting counter-insurgency operations. During this time, he also led participation in regional exercises with Thailand and contributed to development in tropical warfare and counter-insurgency. Realising that the French and South Vietnamese had failed in Indo-China because of outdated tactics, Hassett set up models of runways and Viet Minh villages for training purposes, and so impressed General Sir Walter Walker, who forcefully declared that, as a brigade commander, Hassett was "in a class of his own".
Upon leaving Malaya in 1963, he attended the Imperial Defence College in London, before returning to Canberra as Deputy Chief of the General Staff with the rank of major general. In February 1966 he was posted to London as head of the Australian Joint Services Staff and as a gentleman usher to the Queen. He was appointed General Officer in Command of Australia's Northern Command in 1968 and in 1970 was selected to lead the Army Review Committee, which became more colloquially known as the "Hassett Committee".
The committee's far reaching reforms included moving from a geographical to a functional command system, which involved in part the replacement of the various State Army Command Headquarters with a national field force, training and logistics command system. In 1971 he was promoted to Vice Chief of the General Staff and tasked with implementing the organisational reforms he had initiated, as well as supervising the end of conscription, the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam and the consequential organisation changes brought about be a reduction in Army manpower.
In 1973, Hassett was promoted to lieutenant general and made Chief of the General Staff. Appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in June 1975, he was promoted to general in November and became Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, the professional head of the Australian Military. When the Australian Defence Force was established on 9 February 1976 Hassett assumed the new appointment of Chief of the Defence Force Staff, which expanded his authority over the three services and made him the ADF's first commander. In June 1976, Hassett was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The untimely and tragic death of his eldest son in a car accident in 1974 affected him deeply and contributed to existing health issues. He resigned from the Army on medical grounds on 20th April 1977. Following his retirement, he and Lady Hassett settled into farming near Canberra. He was later appointed colonel commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment. In 2006 the Hassett Award was established in order to annually honour junior leadership within the Regiment.
General Sir Francis Hassett died at home on 11 June 2008. He left behind his wife, Hallie and three children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Three of his grandsons followed him into military life and shortly before he died his eldest grandson, after deployments to Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, was selected to attend the United States of America Staff College, the American equivalent of the British Imperial Defence College his grandfather attended.
- biography, LyndalBassingthwaighte, posted on Ancestry.com (Aug. 15, 2009)
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General Francis George Hassett | The Australian War Memorial
Essex-Clark, John. Hassett: Australian Leader. Australian Military History Publications, 2005.
Frank Hassett - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
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