Summary of John Hackett’s career, decorations and awards
| 1910 | Born 5th November in Perth, Australia |
| educated at Geelong Grammar School, Australia and New College, Oxford | |
| 1931 | commissioned into the 8th (King’s Royal Irish) Hussars |
| 1934 | Lieutenant |
| 1936 | served in Palestine |
| 1937-1941 | seconded to Trans-Jordan Frontier Force |
| 1938 | awarded MBE |
| 1939 | Captain |
| 1941 | service in Syria |
| 1941 | Secretary, Commission of Control, Syria and Lebanon |
| 1941 | awarded MC |
| 1941-1942 | General Staff Officer 2 (Operations), 9th Army, Middle East |
| 1942 | awarded DSO |
| 1942 | General Staff Officer 1, Raiding Forces, General Headquarters, Middle East Forces |
| 1943 | commanded 4th Parachute Brigade, Italy |
| 1944 | commanded 4th Parachute Brigade for Operation Market Garden |
| 1945 | awarded Bar to DSO |
| 1946 | Substantive Major |
| 1946-1947 | Brigadier General Staff, Austria |
| 1947-1948 | commanded Trans-Jordan Frontier Force |
| 1950 | Senior Army Instructor, Royal Naval College, Greenwich |
| 1951 | Imperial Defence College |
| 1952 | Deputy Quartermaster General, British Army of the Rhine |
| 1953 | awarded CBE |
| 1954 | commanded the 20th Armoured Brigade |
| 1956 | Brigadier |
| 1956-1958 | General Officer Commanding the 7th Armoured Division |
| 1957 | Major General |
| 1958 | awarded CB |
| 1958-1961 | Commandant, Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, Oxfordshire |
| 1961-1963 | General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Ireland Command |
| 1961-1966 | Colonel Commandant, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
| 1962 | created KCB |
| 1963-1964 | Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff |
| 1964-1966 | Deputy Chief of General Staff, Ministry of Defence |
| 1965-1967 | Hon Colonel, 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, Territorial Army |
| 1966-1968 | Commander-in-Chief, British Army of the Rhine, and Commander of Northern Army Group, NATO |
| 1967 | appointed GCB |
| 1967-1968 | Aide de Camp General |
| 1967-1973 | Hon Colonel, 10th Volunteer Battalion, The Parachute Regiment |
| 1967-1978 | Hon Colonel, Oxford University Officers Training Corps |
| 1968-1975 | Principal of King’s College London |
| 1969-1975 | Colonel, The Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars |
| 1971 | President, UK Classical Association |
| 1971-1974 | Member, Lord Chancellor’s Committee on Reform of Law of Contempt |
| 1972-1983 | Member, Disciplinary Tribunal, Inns of Court and Bar |
| 1973 | President, English Association |
| 1975 | Hon Liveryman, Worshipful Company of Dyers |
| 1976 | Freeman of the City of London |
| 1977 | Visiting Professor in Classics, King’s College London |
| 1982 | Deputy Lieutenant, Gloucestershire |
| 1985 | awarded Chesney Gold Medal, Royal United Service Institute for Defence Studies |
| 1997 | Died 9th September |