George Hunt was the Senior Chief MLSO in Microbiology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, Hackney Road – a hospital he served for around 40 years.
Later he became the Principal MLSO for the Hospitals for Sick Children, which included Great Ormond Street Hospital.
George was an “old school” microbiologist, working with great care and expertise. He gave meticulous attention to obtaining the best results possible from small paediatric specimens. He also enjoyed research and was never happier than when investigating something unusual that he had noticed on the bench. As well as publishing articles on a variety of microbiological subjects, he was knowledgeable in other pathology disciplines, particularly clinical biochemistry.
He was an excellent amateur artist and also enjoyed poetry (especially Keats). He made wine, picking the fruit himself. Heraldry was another interest and he designed his own coat of arms and investigated his family tree.
During the war, he narrowly missed being drafted to a hospital where all the patients and staff were killed. He also served in India. At one time, he was on the small air-sea rescue boats, picking up pilots whose aeroplanes had ditched into the sea.
George died peacefully at home with his family. He leaves Sylvie, his wife for over 60 years, his daughter Gillian and grandsons Alan and Peter.
Elizabeth Price
