Anthony Hunter-Choat
| Anthony Hunter-Choat | |
|---|---|
| Born |
12 January 1936 Purley, London |
| Died | 12 April 2012 (aged 76) |
| Allegiance |
 France United Kingdom Oman
|
| Service/branch |
French Foreign Legion (1957–62) British Army (1962–86) Royal Army of Oman (1986–97) |
| Years of service | 1957–1997 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Unit | 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1957–62) |
| Commands held | 23 Special Air Service Regiment (1977–83) |
| Battles/wars |
Algerian War Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation |
| Awards |
Officer of the Order of the British Empire Legion of Honour (France) Médaille militaire (France) Cross for Military Valour (France) Order of Achievement (Oman) |
Anthony "Tony" Hunter-Choat OBE, FRSA (12 January 1936 – 12 April 2012) was a British soldier who served in the French Foreign Legion, the British Army, including in the Special Air Service, and as the commander of the Sultan of Oman's special forces.
Hunter-Choat was born in Purley, London, the son of Frederick, who worked in insurance, and Iris, a schoolteacher. The family later moved to Ascot. He attended Dulwich College and Kingston College of Art, where he trained as an architect. In his youth, he developed a taste for travel and languages, hitchhiking around Europe in his holidays.
After deciding a career in architecture was not for him, Hunter-Choat travelled to Paris in March 1957 to join the French Foreign Legion. He was pursued by his mother, but by the time she caught up with him, he had already signed up. He was sent for basic training in Algeria, which at the time was experiencing the Algerian War. Hunter-Choat volunteered for the additional training to become a paratrooper. On 15 October, he was posted to 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1e REP), with whom he would serve for the next five years.
At the time, the Algerian War had become a high-intensity conflict requiring around 400,000 French and colonial troops in the country to maintain order. In this time, Hunter-Choat and his unit were involved in numerous operations, inflicting and suffering many casualties. In February 1958, as a machine-gunner, Hunter-Choat took part in the Battle of Fedj Zezoua, for his service in which he was awarded the Cross for Military Valour. He was later awarded the Cross for Military Valour a further two times, as well as the Médaille militaire. Less than two weeks later he was wounded pursuing FLN troops through wooded territory near the Tunisian border.
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