Ernest Gaunt

Admiral Sir Ernest Frederick Augustus Gaunt KBE (1865–1940), a native of Australia, was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief of the Western Approaches.

Naval career
Gaunt was born in Beechworth in Victoria, the son of William Henry Gaunt and Elizabeth Mary Palmer, Gaunt joined the Royal Navy in 1878 at the age of 13. In 1881 he was a seaman on HMS Wolverine, by 1891 he was a lieutenant on Belleisle, and by 1896 he was 1st Lieutenant on the armoured cruiser HMS Narcissus. In 1898 and 1899 Gaunt was 1st Commissioner for Weihawei and Administrator for Liukungtao, China. In 1900, he was Commissioner and Superintending transport officer Weihawei, China, at the time of the Boxer Rebellion. Promoted to Commander, he was in August 1901 appointed in command of the cruiser HMS Scout. In 1903, he commanded a landing party from the HMS Mohawk at Durbo in Swaziland.

In 1913, he became Commodore of the Royal Naval Barracks in Chatham, England, and in 1913 and 1914, he was aide-de-camp to King George V. In 1916, during World War I, he served as second-in-command of the 1st Battle Squadron at the Battle of Jutland as Rear Admiral; his flagship was Colossus. From 1917 to 1919, he was Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station and in 1921 to 1922, he was Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches. In 1925 he retired, and was knighted. He died in Chelsea, London, England.

His bother, Guy Gaunt, was also an Admiral of the Royal Navy, and later became a Conservative Member of Parliament. Their sister, Mary Elizabeth Bakewell Gaunt, was a well-known author in Australia and wrote several travel books.

Family
In 1899 he married Louise Geraldine Martyn.