Bruce Hamilton (British Army officer)
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Sir Bruce Meade Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 General Sir Bruce Hamilton | |
| Born | 7 December 1857 Sidmouth, Devon, England[1] |
| Died | 6 July 1936 (aged 78) Wendover, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1874–1918 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Suffolk Yeomanry East Yorkshire Regiment |
| Commands | Scottish Command 2nd Division 3rd Division |
| Battles / wars | Second Anglo-Afghan War First Boer War Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Mentioned in Despatches Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy |
| Relations | Major General Hubert Hamilton (brother) |
General Sir Bruce Meade Hamilton, GCB, KCVO (7 December 1857 – 6 July 1936) was a British Army general during the Second Boer War and the First World War.
Early life
[edit]Hamilton was born the second son of General Henry Meade Hamilton. His three brothers all became officers in the British Army, including the third son, Hubert Ion Wetherall Hamilton.[2]
Military career
[edit]Hamilton was appointed a sub-lieutenant in the West Suffolk Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry in 1874 and commissioned into the East Yorkshire Regiment in 1877.[3] He served in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1880 and the First Boer War in 1881.[3] He became commander of the Niger Coast Protectorate Force in Benin City in 1897.[3]
Hamilton took part in the Second Boer War from 1900 until 1902.[3] He played a key role in the capture of Naauwpoort.[4] During the latter part of the war he was in command of the military columns operating in Eastern Transvaal,[5] and following the announcement of peace on 31 May 1902, he supervised the surrender of arms in that area.[6] In his final despatch from South Africa in June 1902, Lord Kitchener, Commander-in-Chief of the forces during the latter part of the war, described Hamilton as an officer "possessed of qualities of boldness, energy and resolution in no common degree".[7] He left Cape Town on board the SS Walmer Castle in late June 1902,[8] and arrived at Southampton the following month. In the South Africa honours list published on 26 June 1902, Hamilton was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB),[9] and he invested as such by King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 24 October 1902.[10]
After his return, Hamilton was appointed General Officer Commanding 3rd Division within 1st Army Corps in 1902,[11] transferring to 2nd Division in 1904. He was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Scottish Command in 1909.[3] He was Army Commander of the Home Defence formations First Army and Northern Army during the First World War.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Notes for General Sir Bruce Meade Hamilton GCB, KCB, KCVO. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ "No. 24872". The London Gazette. 10 August 1880. p. 4364.
- ^ a b c d e f Sir Bruce Meade Hamilton Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ^ South African Military History Society
- ^ "Latest Intelligence – The War". The Times. No. 36754. London. 29 April 1902. p. 5.
- ^ "Latest arrangements – The peace, military arrangements". The Times. No. 36785. London. 4 June 1902. p. 7.
- ^ "No. 27459". The London Gazette. 29 July 1902. pp. 4835–4836.
- ^ "The Army in South Africa – Troops returning home". The Times. No. 36811. London. 4 July 1902. p. 9.
- ^ "No. 27448". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1902. p. 4191.
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36908. London. 25 October 1902. p. 8.
- ^ "Army Corps appointments". The Times. No. 36871. London. 12 September 1902. p. 6.