Ajax Veterans Street Dedication: Hunter Drive

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Town of Ajax Street Dedication: Hunter Drive

Street Name: Hunter Drive
Name of Veteran: Stewart Hunter April 1921-1987
Rank: Telegraphist
Ship Served: HMS Ajax
Date of Service on Ship: Sept. 1938-Dec. 1943
Year of Visit/Dedication: August 27, 2016
Veteran or Family Visit: Lee Hayward, grandson and family
Veteran of the Battle of the River Plate: Yes
Died at Battle: No

Street Name: Name of Veteran: Rank: Ship Served: Date of Service on Ship: Year of Visit/Dedication: Veteran or Family Visit:

Veteran of the Battle of the River Plate:

Born in Glasgow in 1921, Stewart Hunter was known as `Jock' to his family and friends. He joined the Royal Navy in 1936 as a boy aged 15, specializing as a Telegraphist, his first ship being HMS Pembroke. Jock joined HMS Ajax in September 1938 as a Boy Telegraphist and left the ship as Leading Telegraphist five years later. Throughout his 22 year career Jock served on various types of ships and was ultimately promoted to Petty Officer Telegrapher or Radio Supervisor. Near the end of his career he acted as an instructor at HMS Ganges, a shore training establishment. Jock married Mary Rose Humphrey in 1949 and had two daughters, Christine and Penelope (Chrissie and Penny). The family moved to Rainham, Kent and after leaving the Royal Navy in 1961 Jock went on to work for the insurance company United Friendly in the Medway area. He had a love of numbers and was always grilling his grandchildren with all sorts of math puzzles. Jock died in 1987 from lung cancer and Mary passed away 28 years later, in 2015. They are both survived now by Chrissie and her three daughters Claire, Emma & Hollie and Penny and her two sons, Lee and Luke. Unfortunately, Jock's service onboard HMS Ajax during the Battle of the River Plate was excluded from the available Royal Navy crew lists. It was only after his death that his wife read an article in the paper about the Town of Ajax and how the streets were named after those men who served onboard during the battle. Mary knew that Jock had served on this ship and his service history confirmed that he was onboard during the time of the battle. After contacting the Mayor's office Mary received a letter explaining that despite this oversight, Stewart's name was now to be added to the list of street names. Jock's family wish he could have lived to see that his involvement in such an historic battle would be remembered forever by the naming of Hunter Drive. They are immensely proud and very honoured by the dedication.

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