Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt
| Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 May 1870 Ballarat, Australia |
| Died | Woking, Surrey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Admiral |
| Political party | Conservative Party |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Margaret Elizabeth Worthington m.1904, daughter of Sir Thomas Wardle, divorced 1927. (2) Sybil Victoria Joseph, née Grant White m.1935 |
| Children | 2 daughters from second marriage |
| Parent(s) | William Henry Gaunt and his wife Elizabeth Mary |
| Relatives | Ernest Gaunt, Mary Elizabeth Bakewell Gaunt |
| Awards | KCMG CB |
Sir Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt, KCMG CB, (25 May 1869 – 18 May 1953) was an Australian-born officer of the Royal Navy, counter-intelligence officer and a British Conservative Party politician.
Gaunt was born in Ballarat, Australia, to William Henry Gaunt and his wife Elizabeth Mary Palmer. Gaunt's brother-in-law was Alexander Stenson Palmer (banker and M.P. for Victoria). Gaunt's brother Ernest Gaunt was also an admiral. Their sister, Mary Elizabeth Bakewell Gaunt, was a well-known author in Australia and wrote several travel books. Guy was educated at Melbourne Grammar School from 1881 to 1883.
Gaunt's parents wanted him to become a lawyer, but he chose to go to sea. He began training for the merchant navy, but transferred to the Royal Navy in 1885.
Gaunt served as a lieutenant on several vessels in the Pacific Ocean, and was promoted to the rank of Commander in 1901. He became a Captain in 1907, commanding a series of cruisers and the battleships HMS Majestic and HMS Thunderer. He saw action in the Philippines in 1897 and Samoa in 1901.
In 1914 Gaunt was appointed naval attaché to the United States, and was instrumental in infiltrating the Hindu-German Conspiracy during the war. Gaunt headed the intelligence network operated by Courtenay Bennett's intelligence and liaised with the Czech intelligence network operated by E.V. Voska. On learning of the plot from the Czech European network at the outbreak of the war, Voska passed on the information to Gaunt and to Tomáš Masaryk who further passed on the information the American authorities. Voska's American network was a counter-espionage network of nearly 80 members who, as Habsburg subjects, were presumed to be German supporters but were involved in spying on German and Austrian diplomats.
...
Wikipedia