Henry Claude Hamilton #3162A

Indigenous Australian, Henry Claude Hamilton, 52nd Infantry Battalion

Henry Hamilton was born in Inverell, NSW in 1872 and was working as a cook in Murgon, Qld when he enlisted age 44 with the first AIF in September 1916. His brother Joseph Buddsworth (aka Joseph Hamilton) had already enlisted in December 1915.

Henry trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera before embarking for overseas on board the troopship HMAT Demosthenes in December 1916. After several months training with the 13th Training Battalion at Parkhouse, he joined the 52nd Infantry Battalion in France in July 1917.

At this time his unit was billeted south of Ypres where they fought around Messines and in late September, during the Battle of Polygon Wood, Henry Hamilton was taken ill with Trench Fever. Often described as PUO - Pyrexia Unknown Origin, it caused painful symptoms including sudden fever, loss of energy, intense headache, aching muscles and constant severe pain, and sensitivity in the shins.

Henry Hamilton was evacuated to hospital at the allied camp in Boulogne, then transferred by ship to England. After several weeks recovery and two weeks leave he was admitted to the convalescent camp at Sutton Veny in November 1917. Here it was decided that he should be repatriated home and Henry Hamilton returned to Australia via the Balmoral Castle for medical discharge in January 1918.

Read more ...

• Service record: HAMILTON, Henry Claude
• Embarkation roll: 52nd Infantry Battalion
• Unit Diary: 52nd Battalion July 1917
• J.L. Kohen, Daruganora: Darug Country - The place and the people. Revised edition Part 1 Darug Genealogy. Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation, Blacktown, 2009, p.30
• Scarlett, Philippa. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander volunteers for the AIF: the Indigenous response to World War One. Fourth edition, Indigenous Histories, Macquarie, ACT, 2018
• One of the soldiers featured in SLQ’s HistoryPin Collection
• Queensland’s Indigenous Servicemen [mp4]

The information in this blog post has been researched by State Library staff and volunteers, it is based on available information at this time. If you have more information that you would like to share or further research uncovers new findings, this post will be updated.