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, 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 being given command of the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. he became Commander of
152nd (Highland) Infantry Brigade in 1960 and Chief of Staff at
Scottish Command in 1962. and promoted to
major general on 1 February 1964 (the post was redesignated 17th Gurkha Division and Malaya District from 1 December 1965 when the
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation drew to a close). For his service in
Borneo he was appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath. He was appointed
Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 19 January 1966 and went on to be
General Officer Commanding Far East Land Forces with the rank of
lieutenant general on 16 November 1968. Advanced to
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the
New Year Honours 1969, he became Commander
Northern Army Group and
Commander-in-Chief of the
British Army of the Rhine with the rank of
general on 1 December 1970. Advanced to
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the
New Year Honours 1973 and also appointed
ADC General to
the Queen that year, at a time of continuing tension associated with
the Troubles in
Northern Ireland. He retired from the
British Army on 12 August 1976. He was also Colonel of the
Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) from 7 February 1966 to 1975 and Colonel of the
10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles from 1 August 1966 to 1975. In retirement Hunt became
Constable of the Tower of London from 1 August 1980 and
Deputy Lieutenant of
Cornwall from 4 August 1982. He lived at
Portloe in
Cornwall. Hunt's personal interests included
shooting and medical charities: he was President of the
National Smallbore Rifle Association and Chairman of the Council of the
King Edward VII's Hospital in
London. He died on 2 October 1988. ==Family==