Tom Hunter

Charging through gunfire he gave his life to save his troop.

Thomas Peck Hunter VC was a Royal Marines commando whose extraordinary courage at Lake Comacchio, Italy, earned him a posthumous Victoria Cross during the Second World War. On 3 April 1945, the 21-year-old corporal charged German machine-gun positions alone, then deliberately drew enemy fire to help his comrades reach cover.

Born in Aldershot, Hampshire, on 6 October 1923, Hunter grew up in Edinburgh after his family moved to Scotland. He attended Stenhouse School and Tynecastle High School before becoming an apprentice stationer. He served in the Home Guard before joining the Royal Marines on 23 June 1942. After commando training, he served with 43 Royal Marine Commando and was promoted to temporary corporal on 25 January 1945.

During Operation Roast, Hunter commanded a Bren gun group in C Troop. As the commandos approached a canal near Lake Comacchio, he spotted German troops occupying houses ahead. His comrades were exposed on open ground, with little protection against the machine guns covering their advance.

Seizing a Bren gun, Hunter raced across 200 yards of open ground, firing from the hip. At least nine German machine guns, supported by mortars, engaged the British troops. Hunter pressed forward, changing magazines as he moved through the buildings. Six Germans surrendered; the others escaped across a footbridge.

Machine guns on the opposite bank then turned on the approaching commandos. Hunter placed himself on a heap of rubble in full view of the enemy and fired at their pillboxes, drawing attention away from his comrades. He shouted encouragement and called for more ammunition while most of his troop reached shelter. Still firing, he was struck in the head and killed.

Hunter was buried in Argenta Gap War Cemetery, Italy. King George VI presented his Victoria Cross to his parents at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, on 26 September 1945. His medals later entered the Royal Marines Museum collection and are now held by the National Museum of the Royal Navy. His sacrifice remains central to the history of 43 Commando.