Hackett, Basil Fred

No.3806 – Lance Corporal Basil Fred Hackett – 11^th Battalion AIF

Basil Frederick Hackett was born in Fremantle WA in 1898 to John and Bridget Hackett. He was one of several siblings with, John (1892), Dorothy (1893), Claire (1895), Mary (1900), Wilfred (1904) and Cyril (1906). The family lived in Burt Street Fremantle.

Basil was educated at Christian Brothers College Fremantle and after leaving school took up work as a clerk. He also had a short stint as an Orchardist. Basil enlisted into the AIF on the 13^th July 1915 and was passed as fit for service. The medical examiner recorded his physical attributes as;

Height -  5 feet 7 and 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 130lbs;

Chest Measurement - 35-37 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Brown; 

Hair - Brown.

His religious denomination was Roman Catholic.

Basil was initially allotted to the 9^th Reinforcements to the 16^th Battalion AIF and he trained with them in WA until the 15^th October 1915. The following day he was transferred to the 12^th Reinforcements to the 11^th Battalion. Basil trained with them for the next month in WA and embarked from Fremantle Harbour aboard the transport ship  “Mongolia” on the 22^nd November 1915.

After arriving in Egypt in late December Basil was sent to the AIF reinforcement camp and would have heard the news that Gallipoli had been evacuated. Basil did not join up with the 11^th Battalion until the 2nd March 1916 when they were at Habieta Camp. Later in the month the 11^th Battalion departed Egypt and arrived at Marseilles France on the 5^th April 1916.

The 11^th Battalion were disembarked and put onto trains for the north of France. They spent April to June 1916 to the south of Armentieres where they received their first experience of life on the Western Front.

In July and August 1916 the 11^th Battalion fought at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm, with Basil coming through these battles unscathed. After a short sojourn in Belgium, the 11^th Battalion were back on the Somme in November 1916, and they would spend the French winter in this area. On the 7^th November Basil was sent to hospital at Rouen with influenza. It was serious enough for him to be evacuated to England where he was admitted to the 4^th Southern General Hospital. Basil remained here for the rest of 1916.

On the 5^th January 1917 Basil was discharged from hospital to No.2 Command Depot at Weymouth Camp. He remained here for a few weeks and was then transferred to No.1 Command Depot Camp at Perham Downs. On the 31^st January 1917 Basil was sent to the 3^rd Training Battalion at Durrington Camp on the Salisbury Plains.

During his time in England Basil was photographed with his mate Reginald Errington and it made the papers back in WA. A much clearer photo below has been provided by Basil's family.

On the 9^th February Basil was once again in hospital, this time for scabies. He stayed in Fargo Military Hospital until the 14^th March 1917 when he returned to the 3^rd Training Battalion. On the 23^rd March he returned to Fargo Military Hospital where he was diagnosed as having VD. He was sent to No.1 Australian Dermatological Hospital to recover. Basil would spend the next few months in and out of hospital and only returned to the 3^rd training battalion on the 15^th September 1917. He spent the next month in camp and on the 23^rd October 1917 left Southampton and returned to France. After arriving at Le Havre he was marched into the 1^st Australian Division Base Depot and was taken back on strength of the 11^th Battalion on the 11^th November 1917. The 11th Battalion were then still in the vicinity of Passchendaele.

In December 1917 the 11th Battalion went into the line south east of Ypres near Hollebeke and remained there through to March 1918.

Basil served with the 11^th Battalion until the 3^rd of February 1918 when he was sent to hospital ill. He was diagnosed as having scabies, was treated and returned to the 11^th Battalion on the 9^th February 1918. On the 19^th March 1918, two days before the German offensive, Basil was wounded in action, having been gassed. He was evacuated back to the 1^st Field Ambulance and then to the 54^th General Hospital at Boulogne and on the 30^th March was transferred to the 25^th General Hospital. On the 11^th April 1918 he was transferred to the 1^st Convalescent Depot and then on the 17^th April to the Base Depot at Le Havre.

Basil rejoined the 11^th Battalion on the 13^th May 1918 in the vicinity of Merris. He remained with the unit until the 21^st June 1918 when he was sent to a school of instruction, rejoining the 11^th on the 28^th June 1918.

The 11^th Battalion remained at Merris until the end of July 1918. Basil was now a Lance Corporal and the Battalion was shifted south to join the other Australian Divisions on the Somme. A large offensive was planned for August 8^th 1918 and though the 11^th Battalion was not to be involved on the first day they were to relieve the other Australian battalion’s and keep pressing the advance forward.

On August 10^th the 11^th Battalion attacked German positions at Lihons and were met with an overwhelming German machine gun fire. They took the German positions but casualties were very heavy. Basil was listed as killed in action. After the battle the 11th Battalion war dead were collected and buried on the battlefield. As per the photo below, Basil did have a war grave but some time after the battlefield burial and when the 11th Battalion dead were transferred to Heath Cemetery, Basil's grave was somehow lost. He is therefore listed on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.

Basil's brother John Hackett served in the 12th Field Ambulance and survived the war.

(Thanks to John Garland for supplying the photos and family information)