Alexander Hamilton-Gordon

Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon was born on 6 July 1859 and died on 13 February 1939. He was a British Army officer who served during the First World War.

Early Life:

Alexander Hamilton-Gordon was one of ten children of General Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon and Caroline Herschel. His paternal grandfather was George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 to 1855. His maternal grandfather was the astronomer John Herschel.

Military Career:

Hamilton-Gordon received his education at Winchester College before attending the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery of the British Army in February 1880. his initial military deployment was in the Second Anglo-Afghan War in the same year.

He participated in the Second Boer War, engaging in key battles including Ladysmith, Spion Kop, Vaal Kranz, and Tugela Heights. In early 1901, he was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for Intelligence in South Africa. After returning to the United Kingdom, he briefly served as an instructor at the School of Gunnery before being appointed Deputy Assistant Quarter-Master-General of the 1st Army Corps at Aldershot in October 1901.

Subsequently, Hamilton-Gordon was posted to the War Office as an assistant quartermaster general, succeeding Colonel Percy Lake. During this period, he was awarded the brevet rank of colonel. In June 1907, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath. Two years later, in June 1909, he was promoted to the rank of colonel.

In 1910, Hamilton-Gordon became the director of military operations in India, a position he held until 1914. By that time, he held the rank of major general and was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Aldershot Command.

During World War I, in June 1916, he was temporarily promoted to lieutenant-general and took command of IX Corps. Under his leadership, the corps participated in significant battles such as the Battle of Messines and the Third Battle of the Aisne. He was relieved of his command in 1918 and retired from active military service in 1920.

Family:

In 1888, Alexander Hamilton-Gordon married Isabel Newmarch. The couple had three children.

Death:

Alexander Hamilton-Gordon passed away on 13 February 1939.