Early life

Herbert George Hasler was born in Dublin in 1914. His father, an officer with the Royal Army Medical Corps, drowned when the British troopship 'Transylvania' was torpedoed and sunk in 1917. After this, Herbert and his older brother were raised by their mother in Portsmouth.

Hasler’s passion for sailing and craftsmanship started at an early age. As a boy, he built his own canoe, using instructions from an issue of 'Boy’s Own Paper', and took it out on excursions around Portsmouth Harbour and the Isle of Wight.

He was also a conscientious student. He won a scholarship to Wellington College, where he excelled in his studies and at sports.