Arthur Hamilton (1886-1917)
From Sunderland, served with 14th Battalion DLI, 'Shot at Dawn' 1917.
From Sunderland, Arthur Hamilton had joined the Regular Army in 1908 and served with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, before being discharged in 1912 to the Reserve. In October 1916, whilst he was living in London and working as a painter and decorator, Arthur Hamilton was recalled to the Colours and attached to the 4th Battalion DLI at Seaham. After training, he was drafted to the 14th (Service) Battalion DLI on the Western Front.
Within weeks of arriving in France in 1917, Private Hamilton deserted from his battalion. He was later seen buying food in a village behind the lines, before he was arrested in Calais a week later. At his court martial, Arthur Hamilton said that he had been ill, suffering from bronchitis and trench feet. The court, however, found him guilty of desertion “when on active service”, and sentenced him to death.
Arthur Hamilton was executed at 7am on 27 March 1917. He was 31 years old.
Arthur Hamilton is buried in Noeux le Mines Communal Cemetery, France, in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
As Arthur Hamilton had been executed, no campaign medals were sent to his brother, James, in Sunderland, though James did receive an official letter, dated 9 April 1917:
“It is with very great regret that I have to inform you that No. 39213 Private Arthur Hamilton, 14th Battalion Durham Light Infantry was sentenced after trial by Court Martial to be shot for Desertion, and the sentenced was duly executed on 27/3/1917.”
Where to look for more information about this person:
Julian Putkowski & Julian Sykes, Shot at Dawn (Barnsley, 1998), pp. 185-186.
39213 Private Arthur Hamilton’s Army Service Record has survived and is held at The National Archives. This record may be seen on the Ancestry family history website: http://www.ancestry.com/
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=BritishArmyService&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=1&gss=ms_r_db&gsfn=arthur&gsln=hamilton&_F8007A65=39213&dbOnly=_F8007A65%7C_F8007A65_x&_F8007A65_x=1&dbOnly=_F0007CF4%7C_F0007CF4_x&dbOnly=_F0007E0C%7C_F0007E0C_x&uidh=000
Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/465770/HAMILTON,%20ARTHUR
Civil Parish: Sunderland
Birth date: 1886
Death date: 27-Mar-1917
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: Sunderland.
London.
Religion: Church of England.
Employment: Regular soldier.
Painter & decorator.
Family: Brother: James Hamilton, 47 Eden Vale, Sunderland (1917).
Military service:
Private, King's Royal Rifle Corps, 1908-1912.
4/39213 Private, 4th Battalion DLI, 1916; 14th Battalion DLI, 1917.
Medal(s): As he had been executed, the British War Medal and Victory Medal were not sent to his brother.
Memorial(s): Noeux le Mines Communal Cemetery, France.
Gender: Male
Contributed by Durham County Record Office | Durham at War Volunteer
