Alexander Hamilton-Gordon (British Army officer, born 1859)
Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon KCB (6 July 1859 – 13 February 1939) was a British general during World War I.
Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon | |
|---|---|
 1917 portrait by Francis Dodd | |
| Born | 6 July 1859 |
| Died | 13 February 1939 (aged 79) |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands held | IX Corps |
| Battles/wars | Second Afghan War Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Mention in Despatches (4) |
Early life
Hamilton-Gordon was one of ten children of General Sir Alexander Hamilton-Gordon, K.C.B. and Caroline Herschel. His paternal grandfather was George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1852 until 1855. His maternal grandfather was John Herschel.
Military career
Educated at Winchester College, Hamilton-Gordon was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1880.[1] His first military service was in the Second Afghan War in 1880.[1] Hamilton-Gordon later served in the Boer War taking part in actions at Ladysmith, Spion Kop, Vaal Kranz and Tugela Heights.[1] He became Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for Intelligence in South Africa in early 1901.[1] Arriving back in the United Kingdom, he briefly became an instructor at the School of Gunnery before he was appointed a Deputy Assistant Quarter-Master-General at Aldershot in October 1901.[2][3]
In 1910, he took a posting as Director of Military Operations in India, where he served until 1914, when he became General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for Aldershot Command.[1] In 1916, he was given command of IX Corps,[1] serving at the Battle of Messines and the Third Battle of the Aisne. He was relieved in 1918 and retired in 1920.[1]
He died in 1939.
Family
In 1888, he married Isabel Newmarch, with whom he had three children.[4]
References
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- "No. 27387". The London Gazette. 13 December 1901. p. 8840.
- "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36597). London. 28 October 1901. p. 10.
- ThePeerage.com
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Douglas Haig |
GOC-in-C Aldershot Command 1914 – 1916 |
Succeeded by Sir Archibald Hunter |
| Preceded by Julian Byng |
GOC IX Corps 1916 – 1918 |
Succeeded by Walter Braithwaite |