Profile

HAMILTON, Matthew
(Service number 24/1066)

Aliases
First Rank	Rifleman	Last Rank	Rifleman

Birth

Date	09/09/1894	Place of Birth	Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Enlistment Information

Date	13 May 1915	Age	21 yrs 8 mths
Address at Enlistment	Werry's Hotel, Timaru
Occupation	Baker
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status	Single. Married Emily Clara CHISNELL, on 18 August 1917 at the Chertsey Registry Office, Surrey, England.
Next of Kin	Mrs William HAMILTON (mother), 65 Greenhill Road, Rutherglen, Glasgow, Scotland
Religion	Presbyterian
Medical Information	Height 5 feet 6 inches. Weight 144 lbs. chest measurement 34-37 inches. Complexion fair. Eyes brown. Hair brown. Sight and hearing both good. Colour Vision correct. Limbs and chest well formed. Full movement of joints. Heart and lungs normal. Teeth - false upper, lower good. Free from hernia, varicocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Vaccinated. Good bodily and mental health. No slight defects.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	D Company
Date	9 October 1915
Transport	Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima or Navua or Warrimoo
Embarked From	Wellington	Destination	Suez, Egypt

Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With	New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals	1914-15 Star;british War Medal; Victory Medal
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date	6 June 1918	Reason	No longer physically fit for war service (asthma) (Pre-enlistment)

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Wounded in France on 27 September 1916. In October 1916 he was reported wounded and then discharged from hospital. 29 December 1916 hewas at Walton-on-Thames Hospital. 30 April 1917 he was discharged from hospital. On 17 December 1917 admitted to Walton-on-Thames Hospital, with asthma.

Post-war Occupations

Labourer (NZ Railways?)

Death

Date	11 June 1959	Age	65 yrs
Place of Death	Christchurch
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery	Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Christchurch
Memorial Reference	Block 1B, Plot 185
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Matthew HAMILTON was a son of William and Margaret HAMILTON, of Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Matthew was at home with his parents and siblings, at 65 Greenhill Road, Rutherglen, in 1901, a 7 year old scholar. On 19 December 1915 he was appointed cook; then two months later he had his first visit to hospital. He was again appointed cook and ceased duties as cook when he joined his unit. Perhaps it was while he was on leave after being discharged from hospital that he married Emily CHISNELL in Chertsey, England. He returned to New Zealand, embarking on 14 March 1918 and arriving on 10 May 1918 by the "Remuera", no longer fit for war service on account of asthma. He intended to live again in Timaru.Prior to discharge, Matthew was granted sick-leave from 10 May 1918 till 16 May 1918, and then granted 'privilege leave' from 17 May 1918 till 6 June 1918. His next-of-kin at death in 1959 in Christchurch was his widow, Mrs E. HAMILTON of Sunnyside Hospital, Christchurch, for whom the Rev. I. B. Wilson substituted.

Sources

Cenotaph Database [29 June 2014]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5539 0049696) [01 July 2014]; Ruru Lawn Cemetery memorial inscription (South Canterbury Branch NZSG Cemetery Records microfiche) [29 June 2014], Ruru Lawn Cemetery burial records (Christchurch City Council Cemetery Records online) [29 June 2014]; Timaru Herald, 17 October 1916, Auckland Star, 17 October 1916 (Papers Past) [30 June 2014]; 1901 census Scotland - transcript (ancestry.com.au) [30 June 2014]

External Links

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