John Rupert Hunt Thouron

Captain John Rupert Hunt Thouron
10 May 1907 - 06 Feb 2007
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Biography

Born in Crookham, Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Married Lorna Elliot, Exeter St.Thomas, Devon in 1931. They divorced in 1939.

Enlisted at the start of the war in the Gordon Highlanders then Commissioned to the Black Watch. 

He arrived in Northumberland in September 1943 as the Scout Section Officer basing himself in Berwick and Alnwick. He managed to make the local press for a drink driving offence while driving some ATS girls back to Doxford Hall after a night out in Alnwick. Fined £5.00.

He became the last Auxiliary Unit Intelligence Officer for Northumberland in late 1943 after Captain Gough had left for the "Jedburghs". He was one of the last eight Intelligence Officers serving with Auxiliary Units in 1944, following reductions in Regular Army personnel. He was posted to Area 3, which covered from Essex to Hampshire.

Postings
Unit or location Role Posted from until
Northumberland Intelligence Officer 27 Sep 1943 22 Apr 1944
Doxford Hall, Northumberland Intelligence Officer 27 Sep 1943 22 Apr 1944
Northumberland Scout Section Scout Section Commander 07 Sep 1943 08 Nov 1943
Llu Rhagchwilio Arbennig y Cynghreiriaid yn yr Awyr SOE Agent 1944 1945
The Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force SOE Agent 1944 1945
Education

Sherborne School, Dorset

Regiment
The Black Watch
Military number
162569
Commissioned or Enlisted
21/12/1940
Career

Enlisted Gordon Highlanders
Commissioned Black Watch  

6 Oct 1941 Captain, General Staff Officer 3rd Grade (GSO 3) at the War Office in the Command & Staff Section. Some of this time he spent at Bletchley Park with SOE. From this post he managed to run street and house to house fighting courses (FIBUA) for Glasgow Home Guard and any other units in the Home Guard.

7 Sept 1943 - 7 Nov 1943 Scout Section Officer Auxiliary Units Northumberland 

7 Nov 1943 Intelligence Officer Northumberland  then in Area 3 (Essex – Hampshire) from 1944.

Late in the summer of 1944 he joins the Special Allied Air Reconnaissance Force (SAARF) who were working within "Vicarage" a special department set up to stop the possible massacre of Prisoners of War once the Germans realised they would be defeated. He was parachute trained for this role.

Address
Thouron was originally from Crookham, Maidenhead, Berkshire. During the 1950's he moved to Doe Run, Unionville, Pennsylvania USA
Other information

Thouron was a keen gardener with a large collection of Orchids. A keen golfer and frequent visitor to Scotland for Golf and Fishing.

After the war Thouron married Esther DuPont in 1953 (Died 1984) and spent much of his time in America. Here he and his wife set up a fund for students to study at the University of Pennsylvania, this graduate/fellowship program helped approximately 700 students, British and American to study either in the UK for the Americans or Pennsylvania for the British. In Doe Run in Unionville, Pennsylvania he turned some fields into award winning gardens and was well known for his gardening abilities. He was awarded the CBE in 1967 and KBE in 1976. He died in America on 6 Feb 2007 at the age of 99.

Other pictures
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References

Philadelphia Inquirer Obit

Washington Embassy Gardens

Thouron Award

Find A Grave

The National Archives in Kew

Almanac of University of Pennsylvania