Hamilton Charles Denis 2/Lt 90293
Personnel Entry
Name Hamilton Charles Denis
Army number 90293
Rank 2/Lt
Decorations D.S.O. 5/4/1945, T.D. 1975
Date of birth 6/12/1918
Age 69 at the time of his death.
Unit Joined The Durham Light Infantry - Commissioned as a 2/Lt in the 8th Bn DLI 21/6/1939. Embodied 24/8/1939. Posted to the 11th Bn DLI 1/9/39. Served B.E.F. (Weekly Return of Officers as at 5/5/1940 shows him as Rear Party Officer in the UK). Served Iceland. Served Normandy. Commanding Battalion on disbandment 26/8/1944. Transferred to the Duke of Wellington's Regiment and posted to the 7th Bn DoWR as second in command. Promoted to Command of 7th Bn DoWR. Released 1946 as Hon Lt Col. TARO - Major 1/4/1948.
Company/Battery Battalion HQ, C Company, D Company, Battalion HQ.
Platoon or other sub-unit
Task or role Signals Officer, Adjutant 4/7/1940, Company Commander, 2 i/c of 11th Battalion 4/8/1942, C.O. of 11th Battalion 8/8/1944.
Joined Brigade 01-Sep-39.
Promotions A/Captain 4/7/1940, W/S Lt and T/Captain 10/9/1940, W/S Captain and T/Major 20/9/1941, A/Lt-Col 8/8/1944, T/Lt-Col 5/4/1945.
Wounded
Prisoner of War
Died/Killed in action Died 7/4/1988. Death registered at Westminster, London. Probate granted in London 20/9/1988.
Home address Son of Charles and Helene Hamilton. Educated Middlesbrough High School and London University. Married 1939 Olive, daughter of Thomas Hedley Wanless. Lived at 78a Ashley Gardens, Thirleby Road, London SW1.
Source table 11DLI
Author of the autobiography "Editor in Chief" published 1989 by Hamish Hamilton Ltd.
For his Wikipedia entry see here
For his Encyclopaedia Britannica Entry see here
For a National Portrait gallery image see here
For a Sunday Times article and the link to Ian Fleming see here
Sincere thanks are due to Lt Col Hamilton's family for information and for a copy of the autobiography.
Issue 6 of the Polar Bear News - traced in the Durham County Record Office - carries an article by Lt Col Hamilton concerning plans for the establishment of a 49th Division Memorial near Fontenay (this impressive Memorial [1] is the result of that appeal).
