Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Hunter-Bunter" |
| Born | 23 September 1864 Hunterston, West Kilbride, Scotland |
| Died | 18 March 1940 (aged 75) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1884–1919 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Unit | Royal Engineers |
| Commands | VIII Corps 29th Division 11th Brigade |
| Battles / wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Venerable Order of Saint John Mentioned in Despatches |
Lieutenant General Sir Aylmer Gould Hunter-Weston, KCB, DSO (23 September 1864 – 18 March 1940) was a British Army officer who served in the First World War at Gallipoli in 1915 and in the very early stages of the Somme Offensive in 1916. He was also a Scottish Unionist MP.
Nicknamed "Hunter-Bunter", Hunter-Weston has been seen as a classic example of a "donkey" general; he was described by his superior, Field Marshal 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".[1] 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"[2] "in his later battles (at Gallipoli) he seemed to hit upon a formula for success ...(but) these small achievements were largely forgotten".[3]
- ^ Les Carlyon, 'The Great War', p. 27, ISBN 978-1-4050-3761-7
- ^ Robin Prior, 'Gallipoli: The End of the Myth', p. 80, ISBN 978-0-300-16894-5
- ^ Robin Prior, 'Gallipoli: The End of the Myth', Photo 10 Caption, ISBN 978-0-300-16894-5