Donald Rolfe Hunt was born in London on 2nd May 1875, the fourth son of Walter Freeman Hunt and his wife Alice (née Mortimore).
After school he joined the Cape Mounted Rifles and emigrated to South Africa. After resigning that commission and returning to England, he joined the Norfolk Regiment and returned to South Africa to fight in the 2nd Boer War. He was Mentioned in Despatches twice in 1901 and in 1902.
After a spell as Inspector of Native Affairs, he joined the Transvaal Scottish Regiment.
Donald Rolfe Hunt was born in London on 2nd May 1875, the fourth son of Walter Freeman Hunt and his wife Alice (née Mortimore).
In 1880, the family moved to Sedgeford Hall, in Sedgeford, Norfolk having leased the hall from the Rolfe family of nearby Heacham.
He was educated at home and then at a school in Laleham in Surrey (but formerly in Middlesex) and then at Haileybury School from 1889 where he met Tom (Thomas Woods) Purdy of Aylsham. Tom later married his sister, Nona.
After leaving Haileybury in 1895, he worked near Woking at a school being started by Ambrose Ogle, the son of the former Vicar of Sedgeford. He joined the Richmond Rugby football team.
As a result of a chance encounter on a train, he ended up enlisting into the Cape Mounted Rifles of South Africa. He sailed to South Africa in March 1896 and settled in King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape Province.
While in King William’s Town he joined the local Pirates rugby club and ended up playing against a touring England team involving several several of his former team mates from Richmond. The touring team was an early version of what became known at the British and Irish Lions and this was their 1896 tour of South Africa. In his memoirs he recalls of the game that he “would have scored but as I was running past the full-back he ripped off my shorts”.
Donald had many adventures with the Cape Mounted Rifles but it was while he was with them that he met Henry Timson “Tim” Lukin under whom he was to serve with the 1st South African Infantry Brigade in the Great War.
In 1899, Donald was requested to return to England by his parents and took discharge from the Cape Mounted Rifles.
While in England, Donald once again played rugby for The Richmond team.
In 1899, the 2nd Boer War broke out. Donald’s father arranged for him to join the 3rd Norfolk Regiment and he once again sailed for South Africa in late February 1900 on the R.M.S. Orotava from Queenstown (now known as Cobh) in Ireland. He had many adventures with the 3rd Norfolks until he became Inspector of Native Affairs in 1902.
Donald’s father died in 1903 while living in Folkestone.
In 1905, Donald resigned his commission and went on leave to England. During this visit, he met his cousin Grizel Marion Guillum Scott, the daughter of his Aunt Harriet (née Hunt) with Sir Arthur Guillum Scott. Grizel was to become his wife during the war many years later. He returned by ship to South Africa later that year. Amongst others on board on this journey were Lord Baden Powell and Rudyard Kipling.
Up until early 1914 Donald continued his position as Inspector of Native Affairs when he took leave to go back to see his family in England once again.
In April 1914, Donald was appointed as Captain of “F” Company of the 2nd Battalion Transvaal Scottish.
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