John Hunt, Baron Hunt

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox military person Henry Cecil John Hunt, Baron Hunt (22 June 1910 – 7 November 1998) was a British Army officer who is best known as the leader of the successful 1953 British expedition to Mount Everest.

Early life and military career

Hunt was born in Simla, British India, on 22 June 1910, the son of Captain Cecil Edwin Hunt of the Indian Army,<ref name=ODNB>Template:Cite ODNB</ref> and a great-great-nephew of the explorer Sir Richard Burton.<ref>Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland (1912 edn): BURTON of Carrigaholt Castle</ref> His father was killed in action during the First World War.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hunt, from the age of 10, spent much holiday time in the Alps, learning some of the mountaineering skills he would later hone while taking part in several expeditions in the Himalayas while serving in India. He made a guided ascent of Piz Palu at 14. He was educated at Marlborough College before entering the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, where he was awarded the King's Gold Medal and the Anson Memorial Sword.<ref name=ODNB/><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

After Sandhurst, Hunt was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) on 30 January 1930. Among his fellow graduates were Charles Harington and Alan Brown.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> In 1931, the regiment was posted to India.<ref name=ODNB/> He was promoted lieutenant in 1933.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Despite his background he seems not to have been entirely comfortable with the prevailing social climate of the Raj. He preferred rugby to polo, and having already gained fluency in German and French he added Urdu and some Bengali.<ref name=ODNB/> In 1934 he became a Military Intelligence officer in the Indian Army, with the local rank of captain,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and was seconded to the Indian Police.<ref name=ODNB/> At this time the Indian independence movement was gaining ground, and Bengal was particularly affected. Hunt even worked undercover, gathering intelligence in Chittagong while dressed in local clothing.<ref name=ODNB/> He returned to his regiment in 1935,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> having been awarded the Indian Police Medal.<ref name=ODNB/>

Throughout this period Hunt continued to climb in the Himalayas. In 1935, with James Waller's group, he attempted Saltoro Kangri, reaching Template:Convert.<ref name=ODNB/> This exploit led to his election to the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society. He applied to join the 1936 Everest Expedition, but was turned down when an RAF medical discovered a minor heart problem.<ref group=note>A heart murmur. He was advised not to climb stairs!</ref>

He married Joy Mowbray-Green on 3 September 1936,<ref name=":0" /> and she also took part (along with Reggie Cooke), in Hunt's 1937 Himalayan trip which included reconnaissance of Kangchenjunga, the south-western summit of Nepal Peak, and only the third ascent of the Zemu Gap, between Kangchenjunga and Simvo. Here they saw tracks that one of the party's Sherpas told them were those of the Yeti.<ref name=ODNB/> In 1938 he returned for a further period of secondment in Military Intelligence,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> being promoted substantive captain.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Second World War

Upon returning to the United Kingdom in 1940, Hunt became chief instructor at the Commando Mountain and Snow Warfare School, Braemar. He returned to regimental duty in 1943 as a war substantive major and acting lieutenant colonel, Commanding Officer (CO) of the 11th Battalion of the KRRC. Forming the motorised infantry element of the 23rd Armoured Brigade, Hunt led the battalion in the Italian Campaign. In 1944, Hunt received an immediate award of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his leadership in bitter fighting on the River Sangro, in addition to his battalion, he commanded attached troops from other arms, and the recommendation for his DSO states that he was constantly in the forefront of the fighting, organising raids and ambushes to keep the enemy forces on the back foot, and himself leading reconnaissance patrols deep behind enemy lines.<ref name=ODNB/><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Piece details WO 373/7, The National Archives contains the recommendation for the DSO, which can be downloaded (fee payable) from Documents Online, Image details—Hunt, Henry Cecil John. Retrieved 8 April 2008.</ref> In October 1944, his battalion was transferred to Greece, just as the tensions that would lead to the Greek Civil War were becoming evident.

In Greece, Hunt was appointed temporary brigadier and given command of the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, part of the 4th Indian Infantry Division, at Patras. He described attempting to keep the peace between the various factions as "the most tense and difficult period in all my experience, before or since".<ref name=ODNB/> For his efforts there Hunt was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in June 1945.<ref name=ODNB /><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> In contrast to Italy, he was ordered not to take the initiative and had to cope with large hostile forces threatening him, and infiltration by armed civilians as well as increasing numbers of insults to his troops. Hunt kept the situation calm, and when finally allowed to act, and reinforced he planned and executed a successful operation.<ref>Piece details WO 373/75, the National Archives contains the citation for the CBE, which can be downloaded (fee payable) from Documents Online, Image details—Hunt, Henry Cecil John. Retrieved 8 April 2008.</ref> He then attended the Staff College, Camberley, in 1946, followed by various staff appointments in the Middle East and Europe.<ref name=ODNB/> He was granted the substantive rank of major in 1946,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> becoming substantive colonel in 1952.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Mount Everest

Template:Main Hunt was employed on the staff at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) when he received the surprise invitation to lead the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition. It had been expected that Eric Shipton would lead the expedition, as he had led the (unsuccessful) British attempt on Cho Oyu the previous year from which the majority of the climbers were drawn. However, the Joint Himalayan Committee of the Alpine Club and Royal Geographical Society that oversaw British attempts on Everest decided that Hunt's military leadership experience and undoubted climbing credentials would provide the best hope for success. It was felt to be critical that this expedition should be successful as the French had permission to mount an expedition in 1954 and the Swiss in 1955, meaning that the British would not have another opportunity until 1956 at the earliest.<ref name=ODNB />

Many members of the expedition felt a strong loyalty to Shipton, and were unhappy with his replacement. Edmund Hillary was one of those most opposed to the change, but was soon won round by Hunt's personality and frank admission that the change had been badly handled.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hunt planned for three assaults of two climbers each including "a third and last attempt" if necessary, although after two consecutive assaults a wait would be necessary to "recover our strength" and to replenish the camps. Template:Sfn

Base Camp was established on 12 April 1953. The next few days were taken up with establishing a route through the Khumbu Icefall, and once opened, teams of Sherpas moved tons of supplies up the mountain. A succession of advanced camps were created, slowly forging higher up the mountain. By 21 May, Wilfrid Noyce and Annullu had reached the psychological milestone of the South Col. Hunt had selected two climbing pairs to attempt the summit. The first pair (Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans) set out on 26 May but were forced to turn back after becoming exhausted high on the mountain. On the same day, Hunt himself climbed to Template:Convert with Da Namgyal Sherpa to leave a cache of equipment on the Southeast Ridge for the second summit party.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On 28 May, the expedition made its second assault on the summit with the second climbing pair. The summit was eventually reached at 11:30 am on 29 May 1953 by the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Nepal (Norgay had previously ascended to a record mark on Everest with a Swiss expedition of 1952).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

News of the expedition's success reached London on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.<ref name=ODNB /> Returning to Kathmandu a few days later, they discovered that Hillary had been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Hunt a Knight Bachelor for their efforts.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He received his knighthood on his return to London in July 1953.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Further honours were showered on Hunt and the expedition team: the Hubbard Medal of the National Geographic Society, the first time the medal was awarded on a collective basis, though individual bronze replicas were made for Hunt, Hillary and Norgay;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Founder's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society; the Lawrence medal of the Royal Central Asian Society; and honorary degrees from Aberdeen, Durham, and London universities.<ref name=ODNB />

Later life

File:Henry Cecil John Hunt (Caucasus, 1958).jpg

Brigadier Sir John Hunt pictured in the Caucasus, 1958

Hunt returned to active duty in the Army, being posted as assistant commandant of Sandhurst. Following his retirement from military service in 1956, when he was granted the honorary rank of brigadier,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he became the first Director of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, a post he held for ten years.<ref name=ODNB /> He left an account of the British Caucasus Expedition in 1958.<ref>Sir John Hunt and Christopher Brasher The red snows : an account of the British Caucasus Expedition 1958. London : Hutchinson, 1960; Template:ASIN</ref>

Hunt was Committee Chairman of Plas y Brenin from 1955 to 1965, and in the 1966 Birthday Honours he was created a Life Peer for his work with young people,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> his title being gazetted as Baron Hunt, of Llanvair Waterdine in the County of Salop.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

In 1962, Hunt, as representative of the Alpine Club, was joint leader alongside Malcolm Slesser of the British contingent of the British-Soviet Pamirs Expedition with the goal of climbing Ismoil Somoni Peak in the Pamir Mountains, the highest point in the Soviet Union. Hunt retired from the expedition following the deaths of Wilfred Noyce and Robin Smith while descending from the summit of Mount Garmo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He was the first Chairman of the Parole Board, and his advisory work on policing in Northern Ireland led to the Hunt Report with its recommendation for the disbanding of the B-Specials and creation of a purely military reserve force, which was created as the Ulster Defence Regiment.<ref name=ODNB /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1974 he was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Press.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was invested as a Knight Companion of the Garter in 1979.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Lord Hunt died on 7 November 1998 aged 88 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, having had four daughters,<ref name=step9nov>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> one being the actress Sally Nesbitt.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

See also

• Sir John Hunt Community Sports College

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book (autobiography)

External links

• Template:NPG name
• British Army Officers 1939–1945
• Generals of World War II
• Template:Internet Archive author