Pte 15442 Douglas James Marshall Hamilton

• Age: 23
• From: Carlisle
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 17th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Douglas James Marshall Hamilton was born in the December quarter of 1892 in Carlisle, the son of James Hamilton and his wife Margaret (nee Marshall). His father James was born on the 15th June 1855 in Rothesay, Bute, Scotland. Margaret, born on the 16th February 1851 in Woolwich, was the daughter of an Army officer, a Captain in the Artillery. Her family moved around and lived in, among other places, the Channel Islands, Portsea, Liverpool, and Carlisle. His parents married in Liverpool in 1890; Douglas was their only child.

His father was probably at sea in 1901, but neither Douglas nor his mother is found on the census.

The Liverpool Journal of Commerce ran a profile of Captain James Hamilton in 1903. According to the article, he signed his indentures in 1870, and served his time in the Loch Line of Glasgow. Whilst still an apprentice he survived a shipwreck on King Island (in the Bass Straits, Australia). He worked his way up to Mate with the Glasgow Shipping Company, then joined the Anchor Line. He sailed as chief officer in the City of Rome, sailing the New York and Mediterranean routes as well as to the East Indies. He became a Master in about 1891, and at the time was in command of the "Dalmatia". In July 1904 (during the Russo-Japanese War) the ship was boarded by a Russian armed cruiser in or near the Suez Canal, inspecting the manifests and enquiring whether there were any Japanese on board. The ship was eventually allowed to proceed.

In December 1898 James Hamilton, ship's master, 49, Mrs. Hamilton, 35, and Douglas Hamilton, 6, arrived in Glasgow from New York cabin class on the "Furnessia" (Anchor Line). (His mother would have been 47, but apart from this discrepancy, there are curious parallels. No other passenger lists have been found.)

His father was probably at sea in 1901, but neither Douglas nor his mother is found on the census.

His father died on the 09th February 1907, aged 52, leaving £1,123-11s-11d to his widow, address Wellfield Road. His widow, Margaret, is found on electoral rolls at 14 Wellfield Road, off Rice Lane, from 1907 to 1915.

The 1911 Census finds 18 year old Douglas, employed as a shipping clerk living at 14 Wellfield Road, Walton, Liverpool with his widowed mother. She is now 60 years of age, living on private means and was born in Woolwich, Kent. Also present in the household is a Jane Hamilton described as a niece, she is 28 years of age and from Glasgow

Prior to the war he had been employed by Furness, Withy & Co.

Douglas enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool joining in the 17^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 15442. Given his service number it is likely that he enlisted on31st August 1914 or early September.  

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 23, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive. 

17th Battalion Diary 30th July 1916

The Battalion was in support to 19 & 20 Battalions K.L.R. 2 Coys. behind 19th & 2 Coys. behind 20th. Very thick mist. The attack was pushed home to the objective in places but in the main was held up by machine gun fire from hidden machine guns.

Fighting continued all day swaying backwards and forwards until by 6pm about 300 yards in depth had been gained & consolidated all along our front.

Casualties in the 17th Battalion were 15 Officers and 281 Other Ranks

Further details are reported in more detailed by Everard Wyrall in his book The History of the King’s Regiment (Liverpool) 1914-1919 Volume II 1916-1917

The 17th King’s had advanced (two companies each behind the 19th and 20th Battalions) in small columns. They too suffered heavily from machine-gun fire and were quickly absorbed into the waves that preceded them. They also shared the gains and losses of that terrible day.

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55th Division during the early hours of the 31st July. 

The events of 30th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.   

His death was reported in the local press on 22nd August 1916.

HAMILTON - July 30, killed in action, age 23 years, Private Douglas J. M. Hamilton, ("Pals"), the dearly loved son and only child of the late Captain James Hamilton and of Mrs Margaret Hamilton of 14 Wellfield Road, Walton, Liverpool.

He was reported as killed in action in the Liverpool Daily Post on12th September 1916: 

Killed. 

King’s(Liverpool Regiment) Hamilton, 15442, D. (Liverpool); 

Douglas' body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916.

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

His mother Margaret was awarded a pension of 5/- a week from March 1917 and received Douglas' outstanding Army pay. However, the War Gratuity of £8-10s was not disbursed, as she died in Carlisle, aged 67, on 01st March 1918 and was interred at Carlisle Cemetery on the 4th March. 

His cousin, Hugh Graham Wheeler, born in Carlisle, the only son of his mother's sister Mary Ann Marshall, served as a 2nd Lt. in the Northumberland Fusiliers. He was reported Missing and later presumed KIA on 28th April 1917. Hugh, 33, is commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the Missing.

Douglas, as Pte. Hamilton (no first initial), 17th K.L.R., is commemorated in Liverpool's Hall of Remembrance, Panel 55 Left

The Furness Withy & Co. War Memorial (names not listed) is held in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich -

IN MEMORY
OF THE FOUR HUNDRED & THREE
OFFICERS, ENGINEERS,
SEAMEN & FIREMEN
OF THE FLEETS OF
FURNESS WITHY & COMPANY LIMITED,
AND ASSOCIATED COMPANIES,
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
THROUGH ENEMY ACTION
DURING THE
GREAT WAR 1914-1918.

We currently have no further information on Douglas Hamilton, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.