In Memoriam General Sir Francis Hassett

General Sir Francis Hassett, AC, KBE, CB, DSO, LVO

(1918-2008)

After a distinguished and grand life of service dedicated to the nation in war and peace, General Sir Francis Hassett died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Canberra on the morning of Wednesday 11 June 2008. Admired and respected by all soldiers with whom he served, and deeply loved by his family, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1938, and thirty-seven years later led the Australian Defence Force as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee of the three Services.

Hassett’s life was one of hard living and tough fighting as an infantryman, fighting in North Africa, New Guinea and Bougainville in the Second World War; and later in Korea, and then, as a senior officer, as the Commander of the Commonwealth Brigade in Malaysia.

He was born in Marrickville and went through the harshness of the Depression with his family when, at the age of sixteen, he was spotted for his leadership potential by the Royal Military College, where he trained to be an officer between 1935 and 1938 before an enriching but short posting to the Darwin Mobile Force in 1939.

Hassett was a fine sportsman, and excelled as an athlete, boxer and rugby player—and few Australians can say that they scored a winger’s try against the All Blacks.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, he served with the 2nd/3rd Battalion of the AIF and, after being wounded in action in the attack on Tobruk, he was mentioned in dispatches. His leadership, administrative and tactical skills were clearly noted, and he accelerated through the ranks to become the brigade major of the Australian 18th Brigade in Syria, which was preparing for an axis assault from the north through Turkey.

He then returned to Australia to prepare for the final ejection of the Japanese forces in New Guinea and Bougainville. He was a staff officer planning operations for most of this period and became an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in doing so; ending the war as a lieutenant colonel (GSO1), with the Headquarters of the 3rd Division AIF in Bougainville. He was again mentioned in dispatches for this. At the age of twenty-three, he was then the youngest Australian officer in that rank.

Gifted with abundant commonsense, Hassett would often reject convention and custom to reach innovative and achievable solutions to tactical challenges in war and administrative problems in peace.

As a result, his ability as a warrior leader, administrator and logistician had now been well recognised by the ‘powers that be’, and Frank Hassett became an instructor of budding senior officers at the Australian Army Staff College at Toowoomba, where he met, courted and married Miss Hallie Margaret Roberts (now Lady Hassett). They had a daughter, Lyndal, three years before he was posted to Korea to command the Third Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR).

While commanding 3RAR at the Battle of Maryang San in October 1951, and after a superbly led and brilliantly manoeuvred action with his under-strength battalion against a superior Chinese force, Hassett and his men won an extraordinary victory for which Hassett was awarded an immediate DSO (Companion of the Distinguished Order). That victory was described by the eminent historian, Dr Robert O’Neil, as ‘probably the greatest feat of the Australian Army during the Korean War’, and is now one of the ‘Battle Honours’ of the Royal Australian Regiment. This battle is now well displayed and described in the new post-Second World War section of the Australian War Memorial.

After his return from Korea, Hassett notably accomplished a variety of challenging staff appointments, and became the Director of Military Art at Duntroon, a position that was responsible for the development of leadership and military skills of the cadets at the college. While in that appointment, he also became an ADC to the Queen and Prince Philip during their visit to Australia For this accomplishment, he was appointed as a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) in 1954.

Also, his family had now increased with two sons, Michael and Jonathon, and a second daughter, Sandra.

In 1960 he was selected amongst many strong contenders for the appointment as Commander of the 28th Commonwealth Brigade in Malaysia, and was promoted to brigadier. In recognition of his leadership and preparation for war of that brigade, consisting primarily of Australians, New Zealanders and Gurkhas, he was made a Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB). Also, the Malaysian Government awarded him the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian for his leadership and service of value to Malaysia. His innovative methods of defeating guerrilla forces are still valid today.

After attending the Imperial Defence College in London, Hassett was promoted to major general and served on the Military Board in Canberra before returning to London to be Head of the Australian Joint Services Staff, in which appointment he also became Gentleman Usher to the Queen. It was when he was in London that, unfortunately, his inherited ill-health finally caught up with him and he fell seriously ill. He fought doggedly against his illness and recovered well.

On return to Australia, Hassett rose to the top due to his all-encompassing leadership, wide military knowledge, commonsense, organisational ability, and unquenchable dedication to his responsibilities. He was first appointed GOC Northern Command in Brisbane, after which appointment he headed the team selected to reorganise, pragmatically, the command and control structure of the Australian Army. It was from this task that he was promoted lieutenant general and appointed Chief of the General Staff (now titled Chief of Army), where he skilfully implemented the functional change. For this, and his leadership, he was appointed as a Commander of the Order of Australia (AC).

In 1975, he was appointed Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (now titled Chief of the Defence Force) and was promoted to general in 1977, for which duty he was appointed as a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE).

Hassett’s eldest son, Michael, died tragically in a vehicle accident in 1975. On 20 April 1977, he resigned from the Australian Defence Force for reasons of ill-health.

Hassett’s organisational legacy to the Australian Army was its reorganisation along functional lines as it still is to this day, rather than the previously archaic and complicated geographic organisation that it was.

However, his personal and primary legacy was as a paradigm of inspirational leadership, gravitas and quiet charisma, unflappable planning and crisp decisions, extreme willpower under pressure, and a belief in the wisdom and ability of his fellow men. The challenge of his favourite poem, ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling, typified this powerful character trait.

After retiring Sir Francis and Lady Hassett farmed near Canberra, and he became the Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment, its father figure; and later still, he became a Life Governor and a stalwart of the Royal Australian Regiment Foundation, that annually presents a ‘Hassett Award’ for junior leadership. The general was an exemplar of the Regiment’s motto: ‘Duty First’.

He is survived by Lady Hassett and his son Jonathon, daughters Lyndal and Sandra, and their families. Lady Hassett has been a champion in her constant, robust and loving support for the general. The general also leaves a further legacy of three grandsons serving in the Australian Defence Force.

A man with compelling gravitas, the general was much respected and admired, even loved, by all who served with or under him. He will not be forgotten.

We say farewell to a warrior chief, a husband, father, great-grandfather, friend and absolute gentleman. Australia has lost an admirable man, and the Defence Force a living and vital legend.

Rest in Peace, Sir Francis.

Eulogy as delivered by Brigadier John Essex-Clark, DSM (Retd)