Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Heathcote Howard Hammer, (15 February 1905 – 10 March 1961) was a senior officer in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

, seeing service during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After working as a traveling salesman he joined the Militia, Australia's part-time military force, in 1923, starting out as an enlisted soldier before being commissioned as an officer. By 1939, having served with several infantry units, he had reached the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Hammer volunteered for overseas service and fought in Greece, North Africa, New Guinea and Bougainville. He remained in the military after the war, rising to command at divisional level before retiring in 1959. He died in 1961 at the age of 56.

Early years and personal life

Hammer was born on 15 February 1905 in

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for c ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. His father, William, was a miner, and after his parents moved to Victoria, he lived in

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

, where he attended the School of Mines. Following his education he was employed as a travelling salesman. On 26 October 1935, he married Mary Frances Morrissey at St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral, Melbourne. The couple had two children – a son and daughter – but were divorced in 1955. Hammer later remarried, taking Helena Irena Olova, née Vymazal, an Austrian, as his second wife.

Military career

Hammer enlisted in the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

in 1923, serving initially in the ranks. In 1926, he was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 8th Infantry Battalion. By 1939, he had achieved the rank of

, having also served in the 17th Light Horse (Machine Gun) Regiment. Following the outbreak of the war, he joined the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

on 8 June 1940, volunteering for overseas service. After a series of regimental postings, including

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section direct ...

of 16th Brigade, which was part of the 6th Division, Hammer was sent to the Middle East in 1941. After serving in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, the following year he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and placed in command of the 2/48th Battalion, the most decorated Australian infantry battalion of the war. Hammer led the unit in the fighting at the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian Railway station, railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa ...

from July 1942, planning and executing the capture of Trig 29 on 26 July. In the last attack launched by the division on 30/31 October the 2/48th Infantry Battalion was ordered to take a position known as the Cloverleaf. During the attack, Hammer sustained a gunshot wound to his right cheek. The German bullet pieced his cheek and exited through to the other side, but did not touch any bones or teeth. At the same time he took two German prisoners. With only 41 of his men remaining, he withdrew and by dawn they had dug in. He continued to command the 2/48th Infantry Battalion until it was withdrawn from the Middle East and brought back to Australia in early 1943. In January 1943, he was invested with the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO) for his actions in the Middle East.Distinguished Service Order
(DSO), 11 February 1943, It's an Honour, Citation: ''ARMY — Middle East'' In June 1943, Hammer was promoted to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

and given command of the 15th Brigade. He led the brigade until the end of the war, commanding it through the fighting in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and Bougainville.Long (1963), pp. 177–178. For his service in New Guinea he received a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his DSO in 1944,Distinguished Service Order
(DSO), 27 April 1944, It's an Honour, Citation: ''ARMY — South West Pacific'' and in 1945 was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

.The Order of the British Empire – Commander (Military)
(CBE), 19 July 1945, It's an Honour, Citation: ''ARMY — Distinguished service in the SW Pacific'' After the war, Hammer became Commissioner for Repatriation in Victoria and continued his military career in the Citizens Military Force. In 1947 he received a belated

Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He was placed in command of the 2nd Armoured Brigade in 1953. In 1956, he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and took command of the 3rd Division.

Later life

Hammer retired in 1959 and died on 10 March 1961 in Brighton; he was buried in

Springvale Botanical Cemetery The Springvale Botanical Cemetery is the largest crematorium and memorial park in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Springvale, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. History Originally known as The Necropolis Springvale, the cemetery co ...

Notes

References

External links