200051 Private Frederick Hamilton, The King's Liverpool Regiment

Identification

I have taken my main information for this soldier from a pension record. This record shows that Frederick Hamilton served with the KLR and died 3rd Feb 1919. He died in Liverpool Workhouse Hospital *(which was also a military hospital at the time) on 1st Feb 1919 of pneumonia but the fact that he has no record in the CWGC database suggests that it was not related to his service.

Then I found records for a Frederick Hamilton in the census returns etc and this Frederick seems to have been born in 1891 (baptism record confirms this)

The pension record also shows that he married his wife Emily in 1915. Parish records show the marriage of Frederick Hamilton and Emily Humphries in April 1915, Frederick was 23 at the time and his father was William Owen Hamilton, a Smith's striker by occupation. This information ties both the records together, they are for the same man.

Family information

Frederick Hamilton was born on 23rd October 1891 and baptised in the Church of St Michael, Liverpool on 20th December 1891. His parents were William Hamilton (a striker) and Margaret, they lived at 2 Dalton's Buildings.

In the 1901 census return Frederick was 9 years old and living with his parents, his 3 brothers and one sister at 94 Rathbone street. His father's occupation was Blacksmith's striker.

Frederick's mother died in 1902

In the 1911 census Frederick was 19, single and living with his father, who hadn't remarried. Due to a mistake made filling in the form we know that Frederick's parents were married for 13 years and had a total of 8 children, 2 of whom died.

At the time of the census, Frederick was 19 and his occupation was listed as Boot Salesman in Lewis's (a large department store)

His siblings were:

William Alfred Owen Hamilton aged 21 occupation boiler maker

John Hamilton 17 occupation Warehouse Porter

Matthew Thomas Hamilton 15 Chemists porter (also on the St James War Memorial)

Marguerite Adriana Hamilton 13 school

Arthur Neil Hamilton 9 school

They were living at 10 Sand Street which was close to St James and was in fact cleared for the Anglican Cathedral.

Frederick was married at the Holy Trinity Church in Liverpool on 12th April 1915 to Emily Humphries. (Holy Trinity was a few hundred yards from St James Church)

The certificate shows that Frederick was 23, lived at 11 Beaufort Street and was a boot salesman. His father William Owen Hamilton was a Smith's striker.

Emily Humphries was 22 and lived at 11 Beaufort Street, her father Alfred Humphries was a boiler maker's labourer.

Frederick and Emily had one son born in 1917, birth records show that this was Frederick Hamilton, registered July-Sept 1917 in Liverpool.

Military Service

A single page survives from Frederick's service papers, a pension application by his widow.

The form shows that Frederick served with the Liverpool Regiment with regimental number 200051. His Medal Index Card gives an earlier number of 879. The number 200051 is in the block that was allocated to the 5th Battalion KLR when the Territorial Force was renumbered in 1917. This is confirmed by his death certificate which gives his occupation as 'Corporal, 1/5th King's Liverpool Regiment.'

Further pension records show that Frederick Hamilton survived the war and was demobilised, he returned to his family in Liverpool.

Death and Commemoration

Frederick Hamilton's return to his family was brief as he died in a Liverpool military hospital, of pneumonia. The fact that he does not have a CWGC headstone confirms that he had been discharged from the army before his death and the illness he died from was not contracted on service. It is quite likely that he died from the Spanish Flu pandemic.

Pension records show that Emily was not eligible for some payment because they were married after he enlisted, this suggests he was perhaps a pre-war territorial as their marriage certificate shows he was working as a boot salesman.

Thanks to the Toxteth Park Cemetery Inscriptions website I was able to find Frederick Hamilton's grave in Liverpool.

www.toxtethparkcemeteryinscriptions.co.uk gives the following information about a private gravestone for Frederick:

Large upright sand-stone, pointed top.

In

loving memory of

Cpl Frederick HAMILTON,

5th Kings Liverpool Regt,

beloved husband of Emily HAMILTON,

died 1st Feb. 1919.

*Duty nobly done.*

Also of Emily,

wife of James KELLY,

and relict of the above

Frederick HAMILTON,

died 3rd June 1927,

aged 34 years.

I visited the cemetery to get the following photograph: