- Archibald Hunter
General Sir Archibald Hunter (1856 - 1936) was a General in the
British Army who distinguished himself during the Boer War. He wasGovernor ofOmdurman , inSudan , and later ofGibraltar .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 oldSub Lieutenant joined the "King's Own 4th Lancashire Regiment". After studying eight years, he achieved the rank ofCommander ; after a further seven years, he became aLieutenant Colonel ; and finally became aColonel after a further eight years of training.The Mahdi Uprising
Between 1884 and 1885, Hunter joined the "Gordon Relief Expedition" which sought to rescue
Charles George Gordon (or "Chinese" Gordon) from hisMahdi 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 abrigade under the command of Major-General Grenfell inSawakin . 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 toMajor-General later that year, being involved in many campaigns, including "Kitchener's Sword-Arm".The Second Boer War
Between 1899 and 1901, Hunter served as the Divisions Commander in the
Second Boer War . He was promoted again toLieutenant-General in 1900.Later life
In 1905, four years after the end of the Boer War, Hunter was made a
General . From 1910 until 1913 he wasGovernor ofGibraltar .General Sir Archibald Hunter died in 1936.
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 andWinston Churchill .His archive of over one hundred letters and documents is [http://www.manuscripts.co.uk was recently sold] . A highlight of the £15,000 collection included twenty six
Autograph Letters from Kitchener.See also
*
Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
*Second Boer War
*Mahdi Further reading
* "Kitchener's Sword-Arm: the Life and Campaigns of General Sir Archibald Hunter", Archie Hunter.
External links
* [http://manuscripts.co.uk/stock/22348.HTM HUNTER, Sir Archibald, autographs, letters, documents, manuscripts]
* [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/HUNTER3.shtml King's College profile]
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