Rex Masterman Hunt
Encyclopedia
Sir Rex Masterman Hunt KCMG
(born 29 June 1926) is a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor, Commander-in-Chief and Vice Admiral of the Falkland Islands
(and concurrent High Commissioner of the British Antarctic Territory
) between 1980 and September 1985.
and St Peter's College, Oxford
, Rex Hunt joined the Royal Air Force
as a cadet in 1941 and was enlisted as an airman in 1944 and commissioned as a pilot in 1945. He transferred to No 5 Squadron in India in August 1946 where he flew Spitfire
s, before transferring to Germany with No 26 Squadron in August 1947. He left active service in 1948, but remained in the reserves until 1951 where he reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant
.
In 1952 he joined the Colonial and Diplomatic Services and went on to serve on postings in Uganda, Sarawak
, Brunei, Turkey, Indonesia, South Vietnam
, Malaysia and the Falkland Islands
. Hunt was the Consul General at the British Embassy in Saigon at the time of the fall of South Vietnam
in 1975. From 1980 to 1985 he was Governor of the Falkland Islands
.
after the Argentine invasion of the islands. He was captured by the Argentinian invasion force
and expelled from the islands to Uruguay.
During the invasion he had made his official residence, Government House
in Port Stanley the operational headquarters for the Royal Marines
. He sent his family and domestic staff away to safer houses with only their most valuable possessions. His housekeeper took a picture of the Queen
and a bottle of gin.
Government House quickly became the site of an engagement between the Royal Marines garrison and the Argentine navy's commandos
. Hunt gave the order to lay down arms, before going to Stanley town hall, wearing his governor's plumed hat, to meet the Argentine General. "You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith," said Hunt. Four hours later Hunt was on a plane to Montevideo
, Uruguay. He remained away during the occupation
.
Sir Rex Hunt wrote about his time in the Falklands in his book My Falkland Days. He was chairman of the Falkland Islands Association for many years. He retired as chairman in 2004 and moved to Yorkshire
.
in the 1992 BBC
television drama An Ungentlemanly Act
, depicting the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands
.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(born 29 June 1926) is a British diplomat and colonial administrator. He was Governor, Commander-in-Chief and Vice Admiral of the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
(and concurrent High Commissioner of the British Antarctic Territory
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
) between 1980 and September 1985.
Career
After attending Coatham School, RedcarRedcar
Redcar is a seaside resort in the north east of England, and a major town in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It lies east-northeast of Middlesbrough by the North Sea coast...
and St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College, Oxford
St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, located in New Inn Hall Street. It occupies the site of two of the University's oldest Inns, or medieval hostels - Bishop Trellick's, later New Inn Hall, and Rose Hall - both of which were...
, Rex Hunt joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a cadet in 1941 and was enlisted as an airman in 1944 and commissioned as a pilot in 1945. He transferred to No 5 Squadron in India in August 1946 where he flew Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
s, before transferring to Germany with No 26 Squadron in August 1947. He left active service in 1948, but remained in the reserves until 1951 where he reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
.
In 1952 he joined the Colonial and Diplomatic Services and went on to serve on postings in Uganda, Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, Brunei, Turkey, Indonesia, South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, Malaysia and the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
. Hunt was the Consul General at the British Embassy in Saigon at the time of the fall of South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
in 1975. From 1980 to 1985 he was Governor of the Falkland Islands
Governor of the Falkland Islands
The Governor of the Falkland Islands is the representative of the British Crown in the Falkland Islands, acting "in Her Majesty's name and on Her Majesty's behalf" as the islands' de facto head of state in the absence of the British monarch...
.
The Falklands War
Hunt became a household name during the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
after the Argentine invasion of the islands. He was captured by the Argentinian invasion force
1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands
On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings of the Falkland Islands . The invasion involved an initial defence force organised by the Falkland Islands' Governor Sir Rex Hunt giving command to Major Mike Norman of the Royal Marines, the landing of Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo...
and expelled from the islands to Uruguay.
During the invasion he had made his official residence, Government House
Government House (Falkland Islands)
Government House in Stanley has been the home of the Falkland Islands' London-appointed Governors since the mid-19th century. The official residence was built in 1845....
in Port Stanley the operational headquarters for the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. He sent his family and domestic staff away to safer houses with only their most valuable possessions. His housekeeper took a picture of the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and a bottle of gin.
Government House quickly became the site of an engagement between the Royal Marines garrison and the Argentine navy's commandos
Amphibious Commandos Group
The Amphibious Commandos Group is a special operations force of the Argentine Marine Corps, trained to perform quick and objective amphibious reconnaissance, assault raids, and direct action operations. It was created in 1952 by the Vigilance and Security Company of Submarine Bases...
. Hunt gave the order to lay down arms, before going to Stanley town hall, wearing his governor's plumed hat, to meet the Argentine General. "You have landed unlawfully on British territory and I order you to remove yourself and your troops forthwith," said Hunt. Four hours later Hunt was on a plane to Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay. He remained away during the occupation
Occupation of the Falkland Islands
The Military Administration of the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands was the short-lived, Argentine-controlled government of a long disputed group of islands in the South Atlantic which had been governed by the United Kingdom since the 1833 re-establishment of British rule ...
.
Sir Rex Hunt wrote about his time in the Falklands in his book My Falkland Days. He was chairman of the Falkland Islands Association for many years. He retired as chairman in 2004 and moved to Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Cultural references
Rex Hunt was portrayed by Ian RichardsonIan Richardson
Ian William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
in the 1992 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television drama An Ungentlemanly Act
An Ungentlemanly Act
An Ungentlemanly Act is a 1992 BBC television film about the first days of the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982.-Production:The film was written and directed by Stuart Urban, and commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the Falklands War...
, depicting the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands
1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands
On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings of the Falkland Islands . The invasion involved an initial defence force organised by the Falkland Islands' Governor Sir Rex Hunt giving command to Major Mike Norman of the Royal Marines, the landing of Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo...
.