Peter Hunt (British Army officer)
British Army officer (1916–1988)
General Sir Peter Mervyn Hunt, (11 March 1916 – 2 October 1988) was Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army, from 1973 to 1976. He served in the Second World War and commanded British Forces deployed in response to the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. Later in his career he provided advice to the British Government at a time of continuing tension associated with the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Military career
Hunt was the son of H. V. Hunt and educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders on 30 January 1936.
He saw action during the Second World War and was promoted to captain on 30 January 1944. Later that year he was given the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the Seaforth Highlanders, leading them in North West Europe and being appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order on 10 May 1945. After the war he was appointed a Chevalier of the Order of Leopold II of Belgium and Croix de guerre.
Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours 1948, he was given the substantive rank of major on 30 June 1949 and became an instructor at the Staff College, Camberley from 1952 and then an instructor at the Imperial Defence College from 1956 before being promoted to lieutenant colonel on 7 June 1957 and being given command of the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. Promoted to colonel on 7 March 1960, he became Commander of 152nd (Highland) Infantry Brigade in 1960 and Chief of Staff at Scottish Command in 1962.
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