| Sir Archibald Hunter | |
|---|---|
General Sir Archibald Hunter |
|
| Born | 6 September 1856 |
| Died | 28 June 1936 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1875-1918 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | 10th Division Scotland Western Army Corps in India GOC Southern Army in India Gibraltar 13th (Western) Division 3rd Army |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order |
General Sir Archibald Hunter GCB GCVO DSO (6 September 1856 – 28 June 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.
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Archibald Hunter, born a twin, was the son of a Archibald Hunter (1805, Lanarkshire, Scotland - 1868, London, England), a London businessman and Mary Jane Graham (1833, Renfrewshire, Scotland - 1905, West Kilbride, Aryshire, Scotland). Having chosen not to follow his father's business routes, Hunter began military education in Glasgow, and then at the Royal Military College Sandhurst. In 1875, the nineteen year old Sub Lieutenant joined the King's Own 4th Lancashire Regiment.[1]
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.
He was appointed Governor of Dongola Province in the Sudan and Commandant of the Frontier Field Force in 1895.[1] 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. He was made Governor of Omdurman in Sudan in 1899.[1]
Between 1899 and 1901, Hunter served as General Officer Commanding 10th Division in the Second Boer War.[1]
He was GOC Scottish District from 1901 to 1903.[1] He was then GOC Western Army Corps in India from 1904 to 1907 when he became GOC Southern Army in India.[1]
From 1910 until 1913 he was Governor of Gibraltar.[1] In 1914 he became GOC 13th (Western) Division.[1]
He served in World War I as Commander of the 3rd Army.[1] He was then went to Aldershot first as GOC Aldershot Training Centre and then as GOC Aldershot Command. He retired in 1918.[1]
He was elected at the 1918 general election as a Coalition Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Lancaster, but stood down at the 1922 general election.[2][3]
Archibald Hunter married, in 1910, Mary Fergusson, 2nd Baroness Inverclyde (1866–1924), former wife of George Arbuthnot Burns, 2nd Baron Inverclyde George Burns, 2nd Baron Inverclyde (1861–1905). There was no issue the Hunter-Fergusson marriage.
His archive of over one hundred letters and documents was recently sold.[4] A highlight of the £15,000 collection included twenty six Autograph Letters from Kitchener.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edward Chapman |
GOC Scottish District 1901–1903 |
Succeeded by Charles Tucker |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Frederick Forestier-Walker |
Governor of Gibraltar 1910–1913 |
Succeeded by Sir Herbert Miles |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon |
GOC-in-C Aldershot Command 1916 – 1917 |
Succeeded by Sir Archibald Murray |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Norval Watson Helme |
Member of Parliament for Lancaster 1918 – 1922 |
Succeeded by John Edward Singleton |
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