Background
Gaunt was born in Ballarat, Australia, to William Henry Gaunt and his wife Elizabeth Mary Palmer.
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Guy Gaunt
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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.
Career
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 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.
Gaunt headed the intelligence network operated by Courtenay Bennett"s intelligence and liaised with the Czechoslovakian intelligence network operated by East.V. Voska. On learning of the plot from the Czechoslovakian 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.
When the United States. entered the World War I in 1917, Gaunt was appointed as liaison officer In 1918 he served on convoys across the Atlantic and in June was appointed to the naval intelligence staff at the Admiralty. Gaunt was promoted on the retired list to rear admiral in October 1918, vice admiral in July 1924 and Admiral in February 1928.
He was knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of Street Michael and Saint George in 1918.
Gaunt married a widow, Mrs Margaret Elizabeth Worthington (daughter of Sir Thomas Wardle) at Hong Kong in 1904. He later remarried on 1 December 1932 a 35-year-old widow, Sybil Victoria Joseph, née Grant White and had two daughters.
He returned to live in Cobham, Surrey and died at Woking Hospital on 18 May 1953 and was cremated. Gaunt"s autobiography, The yield of the years, was published in 1940.
Membership
32nd United Kingdom Parliament. 33rd United Kingdom Parliament. 34th United Kingdom Parliament]
Gaunt was elected as Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for the Buckrose constituency in the East Riding of Yorkshire at the 1922 general election, replacing the Liberal Algernon Moreing.
Connections
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Born
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Died
March 18, 1953 (aged 82) -
Nationality
Australia -
Political Party
Conservative Party