Frederick Hamilton (Royal Navy officer)
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United Kingdom
Royal NavySir Frederick Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 1917 portrait by Francis Dodd | |
| Born | 8 March 1856 London, England |
| Died | 4 October 1917 (aged 61) Rosyth, Scotland |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1869–1917 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMS Rattlesnake[1] HMS Bulwark[2] Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth |
| Conflicts | Zulu War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral Sir Frederick Tower Hamilton, GCVO, KCB (8 March 1856 – 4 October 1917) was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.
Hamilton joined the Royal Navy in 1869[3] as a cadet on the training ship Britannia.[1] He fought in the Naval Brigade in the Zulu War in 1879, for which service he was mentioned in despatches.[3] After promotion to Lieutenant he specialised in the Torpedo Branch and in 1884 after training was appointed a staff officer at the Torpedo Schoolship HMS Vernon.[1] In 1892 he was promoted to commander and serving aboard the battleship HMS Hood. He was appointed in command of the torpedo school ship HMS Defiance at Devonport on 1 November 1897,[4] promoted to captain on 1 January 1898,[5] and re-appointed in command of the Defiance the same day.[6] On 18 March 1902 he was appointed flag captain of the battleship HMS Bulwark, which in May was to become flagship of Admiral Sir Compton Domvile, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet.[7] Hamilton was Aide-de-Camp to the King between 1906 and 1907.[8]
At the outset of the First World War Hamilton was Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel and was promoted to full admiral in June 1916.[9] He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth later that year[10] but died suddenly from a heart attack[11] in 1917 and is buried in Rosyth Old Churchyard.[12]
He lived at Anmer Hall near King's Lynn in Norfolk.[8]
Honours and awards
- 21 November 1903 – During the visit of the King to Malta Captain Frederick Tower Hamilton, Royal Navy, Flag Captain to Commander-in-Chief, Malta was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.[13]
- 9 November 1908 – Rear-Admiral Frederick Tower Hamilton, MVO, was promoted to be a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order[14]
- 1 January 1913 – Vice-Admiral Frederick Tower Hamilton, CVO, was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath[15]
