James Maitland Hunt of Pittencrieff, Fife, was born on 13 Feb 1852 the son of James Hunt, and was commissioned as a lieutenant into the 79th on 12 Feb 1874, promoted to captain on 12 Feb 1881. He went with the regiment to Egypt in 1882 and fought at Tel-el-Kebir where he was mentioned in despatches and awarded a brevet of major on 18 Nov 1882. He served throughout the Nile Expedition of 1884-85, and the operations in Sudan in 1885-86. He was present at the battles of Kosheh and Ginnis. He was promoted to major on 1 Dec 1886 and in 1894 was in charge of the depot at Inverness. He commanded the 2nd Battalion with the rank of lieutenant-colonel from 3 April 1897 until 8 Mar 1901. After leaving the regiment he was in command of the 91st Regimental District. In 1902 he sold Pittencrieff House to Andrew Carnegie for 45,000 pounds, who gave it as a gift to the people of Dunfermline in a ceremony in 1903. He died on 9 April 1934.
The photo shows Lieutenant-Colonel Hunt in the levée dress uniform of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders. He displays the medals for his service in Egypt in the 1880s, including the Order of the Medjidie 4th Class.
