Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Two-hour last stand of hero WWI officer
Officer sacrificed himself to save his men
THE heroism of a First World War officer who sacrificed his own life to save his men can be revealed after his medals emerged for sale.
Brigadier General Gerald Hunt, then aged 40, single-handedly held up German troops for two hours so his soldiers could withdraw.
He ignored numerous calls from battalion HQ to fall back and kept engaging the enemy until he was killed by a sniper’s bullet to the head.
His remarkable display of bravery while serving in the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, took place near Manancourt, France, in March 1918.
Brig Gen Hunt’s successor demanded he receive the Victoria Cross because he “knew of no greater acts of heroism” than those he had performed.
But the plea fell on deaf ears and he instead received a Distinguished Service Order for his “devotion to duty”.
His citation praised the “magnificent example” he set for his fellow troops.
“He refused to spare himself, though frequently begged to do so by his subordinates,” it read.
“He continued to patrol and organise
up to the moment of death. He showed an utter disregard for his own safety.”
Brig Gen Hunt was born in 1877 and educated at Harrow before being commissioned into the Army in 1897.
After postings in Egypt and India the Boer War veteran was sent to the Western Front at the outbreak of the Great War in 1914.
He recovered from being wounded in 1915 to take command of 1st Battalion.
The Lieutenant Colonel who assumed the role after him wrote: “He died a most magnificent death. I sincerely hope they will give him his Victoria Cross.
“I feel certain that no greater acts of heroism were ever performed than those performed by him on those two days.”
His medals, being sold by London auctioneer Spink & Son on Wednesday, are expected to fetch around £8,000.