Eric Douglas Hunt

The Auxiliary Units nominal roll for this man only states "E Hunt" with no address or identity card number for additional identification. However, it appears that there were only two men from Spalding in the likely age range, one of whom served with the Lincolnshire Regiment from 1939 and in 1944 was reported to have been overseas for 4 years. Eric Douglas Hunt was the only other possible candidate, but to date we have no definitive proof that he was an Auxilier. If you are able to confirm this for certain, then please do contact CART (see below). All the other details recorded here have been researched for Eric Douglas Hunt.

1939 Eric was a wood machinist and sawyer, operating stationary machinery at W Groom Limited. He was part of the ARP First Aid Service, having already been an experienced member of the St John's Ambulance Brigade. He went on to receive his St John's First Aid Certificate in Oct 1940. On 5 Sep 1939, he married Florence Emma Land at the Congregational Church in Spalding. They had two children.

He was a member of Spalding Cycling Club, and is recorded as taking part in speed trials during 1941 in the town. After the war he became chairman of the club. He was Best man to John Sharp, an RAF man who was marrying his sister-in-law in the same year.

From 1946 to 1952 he was leader of the St John's Competition Team and had considerable success, winning the Hong Kong Shield in 1949 and representing No.3 Region in the Dewar Shield Final in both 1949 and 1951.

In 1952, having never previously left the country, he resigned as a foreman at W Groom Ltd, to take a post as acting depot manager for Geest Industries at their timber depot in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). He initially went to Africa alone, leaving his wife at home and his children to continue at school. He then took a post as yard and export manager with African Woods Limited at their Kumaso depot, selling up and taking his family to Africa as well. He took the opportunity to set up several branches of St John's Ambulance including on the railways and in the gold mines. He was promoted to be the Brigade District Staff officer for administration and training in the Ashanti-Brono-Ahafo region.

In 1964, he returned to the UK, settling initially in Poole, before moving to Bournemouth. He continued his St John's work as a member of the county staff responsible for major disaster scheme and special duties in East Dorset. In Nov 1967 he was invested as a Serving Brother in the Order of St John at the Priory of St John in London.