Archibald Hunter

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General Sir Archibald Hunter (1856 - 1936) was a General in the British Army who distinguished himself during the Boer War. He was Governor of Omdurman, in Sudan, and later of Gibraltar.

1 Early life
2 The Mahdi Uprising
3 The Second Boer War
4 Later life
5 Legacy
6 Links
7 References

[edit] Early life

Hunter was the son of a London businessman. However, his maternal grandfather had been a Major. Having chosen not to follow his business routes, Hunter began military education in Glasgow, and then at the Royal College, Sandhurst. In 1875, the nineteen year old Sub Lieutenant joined the King's Own 4th Lancashire Regiment. After studying eight years, he achieved the rank of Commander; after a further seven years, he became a Lieutenant Colonel; and finally became a Colonel after a further eight years of training.

[edit] The Mahdi Uprising

Between 1884 and 1885, Hunter joined the Gordon Relief Expedition which sought to rescue Charles George Gordon (or Chinese Gordon) from his Mahdi captives. The Expedition was, however, too late; Gordon had been killed two days before their arrival.

During the time in which the Mahdi's were being suppressed, Hunter saw much front line action. He led a brigade under the command of Major-General Grenfell in Sawakin. He was wounded on this mission.

In 1896, he joined the Anglo-Egyptian Nile Expeditionary Force under Lord Kitchener and the Sirdar (commander of the Egyptian Army). Sudan was recaptured, and Hunter was put in charge of the Egyptian division. His service earned him promotion to Major-General later that year, being involved in many campaigns, including Kitchener's Sword-Arm.

[edit] The Second Boer War

Between 1899 and 1901, Hunter served as the Divisions Commander in the Second Boer War. He was promoted again to Lieutenant-General in 1900.

[edit] Later life

In 1905, four years after the end of the Boer War, Hunter was made a General. From 1910 until 1913 he was Governor of Gibraltar.

General Sir Archibald Hunter died in 1936.

[edit] Legacy

Hunter was the youngest General since the Duke of Wellington. At age 32, he had commanded a brigade with thirty two divisions. By his death, he had won the respect and friendship of many important figures, including Lord Kitchener and Winston Churchill.

His archive of over one hundred letters and documents is currently for sale. A highlight of the £15,000 collection includes twenty six Autograph Letters from Kitchener.