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Sir David Hunt KCMG OBE (25 September 1913 – 30 July 1998) was a British diplomat, perhaps best remembered as winner of the BBC's Mastermind television quiz in 1977.
Sir David Hunt | |
|---|---|
| British Ambassador to Brazil | |
| In office 1969–1973 | |
| Preceded by | John Russell |
| Succeeded by | Derek Dodson |
| British High Commissioner to Nigeria | |
| In office 1967–1969 | |
| Preceded by | Francis Cumming-Bruce |
| Succeeded by | Leslie Glass |
| British High Commissioner to Cyprus | |
| In office 1965–1967 | |
| Preceded by | Alec Bishop |
| Succeeded by | Norman Costar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 September 1913 Durham, England |
| Died | 30 July 1998 (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Wadham College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Life and career
editHunt was born in Durham, and studied at Wadham College, Oxford. He served with distinction in World War II, and entered the diplomatic service in 1947. He served as Private Secretary to prime ministers Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, and was knighted in 1963. From 1965 to 1967 he was the British High Commissioner to Cyprus.[1]
From 1967 to 1969, he served as High Commissioner to Nigeria. Frederick Forsyth, then a journalist in Nigeria and later a successful novelist, described Hunt as "a snob and a racist"[2] representing the diplomatic corps whose "blithering incompetence" failed to appreciate or deal with the tensions that erupted into the Nigerian Civil War.[3] Forsyth claimed that Hunt was responsible for Britain's complete misreading of the war, contributing to the deaths of millions of Biafrans, particularly starving children.[2]
Subsequently, beginning in 1969, Hunt was British Ambassador to Brazil, retiring in 1973. In 1975, he published On the spot: an ambassador remembers about his tenure in Brazil.[1]
Retirement
editHunt was appointed chairman of the Governors of the Commonwealth Institute in 1973.[4][5] He joined the board of directors of The Observer around 1977.[1][5] In addition to writing, Hunt was a frequent reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement.[1] He later served as President of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies from 1986-1990.[6][1]
Mastermind
editHunt won the Mastermind title in 1977 and was runner-up in the Mastermind International of 1979.
In 1982, a Champion of Champions tournament among the first ten Mastermind champions was televised. Hunt won the overall title.
Publications
editHunt had a number of books published:
- A Don at War. London: F. Cass. 1990 [1966]. ISBN 978-0-7146-3383-1.
- On the spot: an ambassador remembers. London: P. Davies. 1975. ISBN 978-0-432-06962-2.
- Memoirs military and diplomatic (Revised ed.). London: Trigraph. 2006 [1998]. ISBN 978-0-947961-10-7. A revised edition of the two books A Don at war and On the spot: an ambassador remembers.
- Footprints in Cyprus : an illustrated history. London: Trigraph. 1990 [1982]. ISBN 978-0-9508026-7-1.. Co-authored with J.N. Coldstream
Sources
edit- ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Sir David Hunt". The Independent. 10 August 1998. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ a b Forsyth, Frederick (21 January 2020). "Buried for 50 years: Britain's shameful role in the Biafran war | Frederick Forsyth". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ Forsyth, Frederick (2015). The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue. NY, Putnams
- ^ Resignation of Lord Garner and appointment of Sir David Hunt as Chairman of the Board of... 1 January 1973.
- ^ a b JulianDavidHunt (12 April 2012). Sir David Hunt on Champion of Champions Mastermind series. Retrieved 4 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "About Us | The Hellenic Journal | Study of Greek language". Hellenic Society. Retrieved 4 July 2024.