Son of Robert Hamilton, an iron and oil merchant, and his wife Anne Carmichael. Brother of Miss Janette Gibson Hamilton, of 4 Stirling Road, Edinburgh. Born East Viewfield, Trinity, Edinburgh. Educated at George Watson's College, served his articles with Robert Moreham, City Architect of Edinburgh. On completion of articles he went as an assistant to an architect in Ayr and joined the Ayrshire Yeomanry on the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War. He left for active service in South Africa where he settled, after briefly returning to Britain and joined George RANSOME's office. He was there only a short time (1901-1902) before, in September 1902 he and W Tait CONNER, both of them assistants in Ransome's office, left for Johannesburg. Here Hamilton joined the office of LECK & EMLEY where he remained until 1904, leaving to enter into partnership with Tait Conner (cf TAIT CONNER & HAMILTON). The partnership continued until 1911 when Hamilton joined the PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT in Pretoria. On the outbreak of the First World War he joined the Natal Light Horse and took part in the South West Africa campaign, fighting at Gibeon and then entered an Officers' Training Course in England. Frank EMLEY, writing Hamilton's obituary for the Journal of the Association of Transvaal Architects, said that Hamilton "was a brilliant draughtsman ... perhaps too little ambitious, perhaps too modest in his own estimation ... but more brilliant by far than many who were infinitely better known." ref. South African Roll of Honour 1914-1918