Anthony Hunter-Choat (12 January 1936 – 12 April 2012) was a British soldier who served in the
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...
, the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
, including in the
Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-te ...
, and as the commander of the
Sultan of Oman's special forces.
Early life and education
Hunter-Choat was born in
Purley, London, the son of Frederick, who worked in insurance, and Iris, a schoolteacher. The family later moved to
Ascot. He attended
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is a 2–19 Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school for Single-sex education, boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a Public school (United Kingdom), public school, it began as the Col ...
and
Kingston College of Art, where he trained as an architect. In his youth, he developed a taste for travel and languages, hitchhiking around Europe in his holidays.
Military career
French Foreign Legion
After deciding a career in architecture was not for him, Hunter-Choat travelled to Paris in March 1957 to join the
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...
. He was pursued by his mother, but by the time she caught up with him, he had already signed up. He was sent for basic training in Algeria, which at the time was experiencing the
Algerian War
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
. Hunter-Choat volunteered for the additional training to become a paratrooper. On 15 October, he was posted to
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) was an airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army which dated its origins to 1948. The regiment fought in the First Indochina War as th ...
(1e REP), with whom he would serve for the next five years.
At the time, the Algerian War had become a high-intensity conflict requiring around 400,000 French and colonial troops in the country to maintain order. In this time, Hunter-Choat and his unit were involved in numerous operations, inflicting and suffering many casualties. In February 1958, as a machine-gunner, Hunter-Choat took part in the Battle of Fedj Zezoua, for his service in which he was awarded the
Cross for Military Valour
The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...
. He was later awarded the Cross for Military Valour a further two times, as well as the
Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
. Less than two weeks later he was wounded pursuing
FLN troops through wooded territory near the Tunisian border.
In the
Algiers putsch of 1961
The Algiers putsch (french: Putsch d'Alger or ), also known as the Generals' putsch (''Putsch des généraux''), was a failed coup d'état intended to force French President Charles de Gaulle not to abandon French Algeria, along with the resid ...
,
Hélie de Saint Marc
Hélie Denoix de Saint Marc or Hélie de Saint Marc, (11 February 1922 – 26 August 2013) was a senior member of the French resistance and a senior active officer of the French Army, having served in the French Foreign Legion, in particular at t ...
, the commander of 1e REP agreed to take part. Hunter-Choat was one of a number of troops who occupied key parts of Algiers on behalf of the putsch on the night of 21 April 1961. After
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...
made an appeal on national television against the coup, support for it collapsed and 1e REP was subsequently disbanded. Shortly after, Hunter-Choat's term of service expired and he returned to Britain.
British Army
His father convinced him to apply to the British Army, but his first application in March 1962 was rejected because he was over the typical age. After his father wrote to them in April, he was accepted "as a special case, for consideration." After passing out the top in his course at
Mons Officer Cadet School
Mons Officer Cadet School was a British military training establishment for officer cadets in Aldershot from 1942 to 1972, when it was closed and all officer training concentrated at Sandhurst.
Until 1960, it was known as the Mons Officer Cade ...
, he was assigned to the
7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles
The 7th Gurkha Rifles was a rifle regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army, following India's independence in 1947 and after 1959 designated as the 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles.
History
...
and posted to Malaya. From there, in early 1963, he was posted to Brunei, and later to Sarawak and Borneo, where he fought in the
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
The Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation or Borneo confrontation (also known by its Indonesian / Malay name, ''Konfrontasi'') was an armed conflict from 1963 to 1966 that stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of the Federation o ...
. Whilst there, Hunter-Choat took part in cross-border raids into Indonesia, as well as coastal raids.
He had initially signed up on a short service commission and wanted to transfer to a regular commission. Finding himself too old for the infantry, he joined the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
in 1964. He remained in Borneo as a forward observer officer until 1966, when he returned to Britain. From 1969 to 1970, he attended the
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, whic ...
, and then served in 45 Field Regiment RA. He became a battery commander and then became second-in-command of
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. They are currently based at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland, England.
The regiment was constituted in 1939 out of existing batteries. Two of ...
in Hong Kong. He served on the directing staff of the junior division of the
Land Warfare Centre,
Warminster
Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-century Minster Church o ...
, from 1975 to 1977.
In 1977, he was offered command of
23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve)
23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) (23 SAS(R)) is a British Army Reserve special forces unit that forms part of United Kingdom Special Forces. Together with 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) (21 SAS(R)), it forms the S ...
, which was unusual for an officer without a British special forces background. He commanded the regiment until 1983, although few details of his service in this period are available due to its sensitive nature. From 1983 to 1986, he was a senior staff officer at the
NATO headquarters
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is headquartered in a complex in Haren, Belgium, Haren, part of the Brussels (municipality), City of Brussels municipality of Belgium. The staff at the headquarters is composed of national delegation ...
in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and a special forces adviser to the
Supreme Allied Commander
Supreme Allied Commander is the title held by the most senior commander within certain multinational military alliances. It originated as a term used by the Allies during World War I, and is currently used only within NATO for Supreme Allied Comm ...
Europe (SACEUR). His last post in the British Army was as a personal liaison between the Commander-in-Chief of
BAOR
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...
and his US counterpart. He retired from the army in 1986, at the rank of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
, and was appointed
OBE.
Later service
Immediately after retiring from the British Army, he became Commander of the Sultan of Oman's special forces at the rank of
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
. His responsibilities included increasing the numbers in the special forces from under 1000 to more than 2000, and for improving their equipment and capability. In 1995, he was awarded the Omani
Order of Achievement by
Sultan Qaboos
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
. He retired from the Omani Army in 1997. From 1998 to 1999, he worked as a Kosovo ceasefire verifier with the
Kosovo Verification Mission
The 1998-1999 Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) was an OSCE mission to verify that the Serbian and Yugoslav forces were complying with the UN October Agreement to end atrocities in Kosovo, withdraw armed forces from Kosovo, and abide by a ceasef ...
. Speaking to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' in 1999, he said "Our attitude is not patronising to either the Serb units or the guerrillas. We are simply trying to persuade them not to do something silly." He became the head of security for
Aga Khan IV
Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...
. This involved helping to create a base for the Aga Khan at
Chantilly, Oise
Chantilly ( , ) is a commune in the Oise department in the Valley of the Nonette in the Hauts-de-France region of Northern France. Surrounded by Chantilly Forest, the town of 10,863 inhabitants (2017) falls within the metropolitan area of Pari ...
.
After the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, Hunter-Choat became head of security for the
Coalition Provisional Authority
)
, capital = Baghdad
, largest_city = capital
, common_languages = ArabicKurdishEnglish (''de facto'')
, government_type = Transitional government
, legislature = Iraqi Governing Council
, title_leader = Administrator
, leader1 = Jay ...
's Program Management Office (PMO), which was responsible for funding reconstruction projects in the country. He was involved in some scandal when the PMO awarded a contract worth $293 million to
Aegis Defence Services
Aegis Defence Services is a British private military and private security company with overseas offices in Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Somalia and Mozambique. It is part of the Aegis Group of companies, ...
headed by
Tim Spicer
Timothy Simon Spicer, (born 1952) is a former British Army officer, and former chief executive officer of the private security company Aegis Defence Services. He is a veteran of the Falklands War and also served with the British Army in Norther ...
, who Hunter-Choat knew personally. However, there was no suggestion that Hunter-Choat had acted improperly. He was later responsible for making security plans for
USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
in Afghanistan and was an accomplished lecturer on leadership and security.
Legacy
The Hunter-Choat pace stick is awarded biennially to a
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...
cadet in Hereford. ''French Foreign Legion 1831–71'', by
Martin Windrow
Martin C. Windrow (born 1944) is a British historian, editor and author of several hundredWindrow, Martin ''The Last Valley'', preface books, articles and monographs, particularly those on organizational or physical details of military history, an ...
, published by
Osprey Publishing
Osprey Publishing is a British, Oxford-based, publishing company specializing in military history. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company produces ov ...
, is both dedicated to, and prefaced by, Hunter-Choat.
Personal life
He married Maureen McCabe in 1964, but the marriage was later dissolved. He married again, to Linda Wood, in 1982. He had two daughters from his first marriage and two daughters and a son from his second marriage. Hunter-Choat had served as both president and secretary general of the British branch of the Foreign Legion Association and was a keen
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
.
Hunter-Choat was also a member of the
Sublime Society of Beefsteaks.
Awards
Besides winning the
Cross for Military Valour
The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...
three times, and winning the
Medaille militaire, Hunter-Choat was appointed
OBE and awarded the Omani
Order of Achievement. In 2001, he was appointed as an Officer of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
, and was raised to Commander in 2011. He was also a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
and a
Freeman of the City of London
The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter-Choat, Tony
1936 births
2012 deaths
Royal Gurkha Rifles officers
British Army personnel of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
French military personnel of the Algerian War
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour
Special Air Service officers
Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion
People educated at Dulwich College
Royal Artillery officers
Royal Horse Artillery officers
Graduates of the Mons Officer Cadet School
Military personnel from London
British Army brigadiers
Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley