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Lieutenant-General Sir Aylmer Gould Hunter-Weston KCB DSO GStJ (23 September 1864 – 18 March 1940) was a British Army general who served in World War I at Gallipoli and in the very early stages of the Somme Offensive. He was also a Member of Parliament. Nicknamed "Hunter-Bunter", Hunter-Weston has been seen as a classic example of a "donkey" general; he was described by his superior Sir Douglas Haig as a "rank amateur", and has been referred to by one modern writer as "one of the Great War's spectacular incompetents".〔Les Carlyon, 'The Great War', p. 27, ISBN 978-1-4050-3761-7〕 However, another historian writes that although his poor performance at the battles of Krithia earned his reputation "as one of the most brutal and incompetent commanders of the First World War" 〔Robin Prior, 'Gallipoli: The End of the Myth', p. 80, ISBN 978-0-300-16894-5〕 "in his later battles (at Gallipoli) he seemed to hit upon a formula for success ...(but) these small achievements were largely forgotten".〔Robin Prior, 'Gallipoli: The End of the Myth', Photo 10 Caption, ISBN 978-0-300-16894-5〕 ==Early career== Hunter-Weston was educated at Wellington College 〔Travers 1987, pp. 287–8〕 and was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1884.〔Gordon Corrigan, 'Mud, Blood and Poppycock', pp.198–9, ISBN 0-304-36659-5〕 He was promoted captain in 1892.〔Travers 1987, pp. 287–8〕 He served on the Indian North West Frontier and took part in the Miranzai Expedition of 1891 and was wounded during the Waziristan Expedition of 1894–95. During this time he was promoted to brevet major.〔Gordon Corrigan, 'Mud, Blood and Poppycock', pp. 198–9, ISBN 0-304-36659-5〕 He was on General Herbert Kitchener's staff on the Nile Expedition of 1896.〔1896 is the date given by Corrigan. There was indeed an expedition up the Nile that year, not to be confused with the more famous expedition to Omdurman in 1898.〕〔Gordon Corrigan, 'Mud, Blood and Poppycock', pp.198–9, ISBN 0-304-36659-5〕 He attended Staff College (where he was Master of Staff College Hounds) 1898–9.〔Travers 1987, pp. 287–8〕 He later took part in the Second Boer War in South Africa between 1899 and 1902 as a staff officer then as commander of the Mounted Engineers, then of the Royal Engineer Cavalry Division. He then became Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General (DAAG), then Chief of Staff, to Sir John French’s Cavalry Division, then commanded a cavalry column.〔Travers 1987, pp. 287–8〕 He was described as having "reckless courage combined with technical skill and great coolness in emergency",〔Gordon Corrigan, 'Mud, Blood and Poppycock', pp. 198–9, ISBN 0-304-36659-5〕 was mentioned in despatches (including 31 March 1900) and received the Queen's South Africa Medal. He was General Sir John French's chief staff officer in the Eastern Command from 1904 to 1908, after which he performed the same role in the Scottish Command until 1911. He married Grace Strang-Steel in 1905. In 1911, he became the Assistant Director of Military Training; in the same year, he succeeded his mother as the 27th Laird of Hunterston and was made a member of the Order of the Bath.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Hunter Surname DNA Project Worldwide Database - includes others related to Dr. Johnson Calhoun Hunter, born 1787 ) 〕 At the outbreak of the war in 1914, he was a brigadier-general in command of the 11th Infantry Brigade based at Colchester, and he commanded this unit as part of 4th Division on the Western Front, including at the battles of Le Cateau and the Aisne, where he supervised his command from a motorbike (at a time when senior generals used cars and most other officers used horses). He "often appeared in the most surprising places" and his handling of the brigade was "skilful".〔Gordon Corrigan, 'Mud, Blood and Poppycock', pp. 199, ISBN 0-304-36659-5〕 His bravery and determination marked him out for promotion.〔Steel & Hart 1994, p. 40〕 Hunter-Weston was one of the senior officers commanded to write regularly to the King to keep His Majesty informed of military developments.〔Robbins 2005, p. 4〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aylmer Hunter-Weston」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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