Hugh Ian McGarvie-Munn (22 September 1919 in

Jamadoba Jamadoba is a neighbourhood in Dhanbad in Dhanbad Sadar subdivision in Dhanbad district in Jharkhand state, India. Geography Location Jamadoba is located at . It has an average elevation of 153 metres (501 feet). Note: The map along ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

– 4 January 1981 in

Entrecasteaux Entrecasteaux (; oc, Entrecastèus) is a commune in the Var department in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is noted for its public square designed by Le Nôtre, and its seventeenth-century Château, restored by Sco ...

, France). He was a captain in the

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...

, artist,

naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture occupations Design occupations Architecture, Occupations ...

and also served as a Guatemalan diplomat. His father was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and was chief consultant engineer to the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

. In 1947 he married Carmen Atala Maria Ydígoras Laparra, the daughter of María Teresa and General and engineer Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes. Following the murder of Colonel

Carlos Castillo Armas Carlos Castillo Armas (; 4 November 191426 July 1957) was a Guatemalan military officer and politician who was the 28th president of Guatemala, serving from 1954 to 1957 after taking power in a coup d'état. A member of the right-wing Nation ...

, McGarvie-Munn's father-in-law

Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes General José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes (17 October 1895 – 27 October 1982) was the conservative President of Guatemala from 1958 to March 1963. He was also the main challenger to Jacobo Árbenz during the 1950 presidential election. He ...

was elected, on 2 March 1958, Constitutional

President of Guatemala The president of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de Guatemala), officially known as the President of the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de la República de Guatemala), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a ...

. Fuentes was incensed by

illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

Mexicans Mexicans ( es, mexicanos) are the citizens of the United Mexican States. The most spoken language by Mexicans is Spanish language, Spanish, but some may also speak languages from 68 different Languages of Mexico, Indigenous linguistic groups ...

on Guatemala's Pacific coast, and two Mexican fishing boats were sunk by the Guatemalan Air Force. He challenged the

Mexican president The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Co ...

to a duel on the border to settle the matter, and decided that Guatemala needed a navy. McGarvie-Munn was at that time an artist and member of the

Royal Institute of Naval Architects The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (also known as RINA) is an international organisation representing naval architects. It is an elite international professional institution based in London. Its members are involved worldwide at all levels ...

, an association of naval architects. Fuentes founded the Guatemalan Navy and made McGarvie-Munn briefly the Commander in Chief of the Navy. In 1974 McGarvie-Munn acquired the seventeenth-century Château of

Var Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, Ca ...

, southeast France, which became his principal residence. Hugh Ian McGarvie-Munn and his son Iain Lachlan McGarvie-Munn immediately began the restoration of this château which had fallen into ruin and opened it to the public. Upon McGarvie-Munn's death his son continued the restoration. It was largely due to their efforts that Entrecasteaux has become a popular destination for artists and tourists.

References

Insight Guides: Provence & the French RivieraSecret France: Charming Villages & Country Tours
page 237 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgarvie-Munn, Hugh Ian Guatemalan diplomats 1919 births 1981 deaths British people in colonial India British emigrants to Guatemala