John Patrick Hamilton VC

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John Patrick Hamilton VC










Service no 943

Place of birth Orange, 24 January 1896

Address Carruthers Street, Penshurst

Occupation Butcher

Next of kin William Hamilton (father), Carruthers Street, Penshurst, later Rozelle Cottage, Quigg Street, Belmore

Date of enlistment 15 September 1914

Place of enlistment Sydney

Age at enlistment 19

Fate Embarked Sydney 18 October 1914 Awarded VC 15 October 1915 Appointed Corporal 3 May 1916 Promoted to Sergeant 13 May 1917 Promoted 2nd Lieutenant 2 January 1919 Promoted Lieutenant 2 April 1919 Returned to Australia 26 August 1919 Appointment terminated 12 September 1919

Date of death 27 February 1961, Concord Repatriation General Hospital of cerebro-vascular disease

Buried Woronora Cemetery


Born in Orange on 24 January 1896, John Hamilton was working as a butcher in Penshurst when he enlisted in the AIF in September 1914. He was posted to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade and boarded the Euripides in Sydney in October for training in Egypt. Private Hamilton was part of the landing at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, his battalion coming ashore in the 2nd and 3rd waves.

On 9 August during the battle of Lone Pine the Turks launched an intense assault with unrelenting rifle and machine-gun fire. For six hours Hamilton lay in the open, protected only by a few sandbags, yelling instructions to his comrades in the trenches about where to direct their bombs whilst maintaining constant sniper fire. For this act of bravery he was awarded the Victoria Cross. His VC is on display at the Australian War Memorial; it was the only one awarded to Hamilton's unit during the war.

Hamilton was promoted to Corporal on 3 May and fought at the Battle of Pozières in July, the Battle of Mouquet Farm in August, and Flers in November. He was promoted to Sergeant in May 1917 and served at Bullecourt and the Battle of Passchendale at Menin Road and Broodseinde.

In July 1918 Hamilton was posted to No.5 Officer Cadet Battalion at Cambridge in England. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant in January 1919, followed by Lieutenant in April. Hamilton returned to Australia in August and was discharged from the AIF on 12 September 1919.

Hamilton returned to active service during the Second World War, serving as a Lieutenant with the 16th Garrison Battalion and the 3rd Pioneer Battalion. In 1944 he joined the Army Labour Service and was promoted to Captain.

John Hamilton died in Sydney in February 1961.

John Hamilton’s VC was awarded for 'most conspicuous bravery on 9 August 1915 in the Gallipoli Peninsula. During a heavy bomb attack by the enemy on the newly-captured position at Lone Pine, Private Hamilton, with utter disregard to personal safety, exposed himself under heavy fire on the parados, in order to secure a better fire position against the enemy’s bomb throwers. His coolness and daring example had an immediate effect. The defence was encouraged and the enemy was driven off with heavy loss.' Commonwealth Gazette No. 28 February 24, 1916.

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