William Hamilton - Link to Dennyloanhead
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504166 Sapper, 3rd Field Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Canadian Divisional Engineers.
Age: 39
Date of death: 24.10.17
Buried: Wieltje Farm Cemetery Grave A.33
Family history: Son of James and Christina Hamilton, Crisham Cottage, Dennyloanhead. William was unmarried and living at the Savoy Rooming House, Calgary when he enlisted on 26 February 1916. He gave his profession as ‘Sapper’. He sailed from Halifax on 24 July 1916 and landed in Liverpool going onto the Canadian camp at Shorncliffe. He was hospitalised with Gonorrhoea on 10 August 1916 and was discharged from hospital on 4 September. He went to France on 21 June 1917 and joined the 3rd Field Company on 5 August. On the 17 July 1917, he was fined by his Commanding Officer and forfeited 7 days pay and his pay stopped to make good the replacement of his equipment to the value £8.17.10 (£1977 today). On the 13 October 1917, he was sentenced to 21 days Field Punishment No.1 for drunkenness and using insolent language to an NCO.
Action leading to his death
The Company had proceeded to bivouacs at English Farm located near to Wieltje and arrived there at 4pm on 22 October. The War Diary recording that enemy aircraft had bombed the vicinity of the camp during the night.
On the 24 October, the Company was busy building and arranging bivouacs when enemy aircraft bombed the camp and the vicinity of the camp between 1.30pm and 2pm causing casualties with one Other Rank, William, killed and 8 wounded. William was buried in Wieltje Farm Cemetery.
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