Frank Hamilton - 844571
- Sean Maas-Stevens
- Oct 17, 2025
- 2 min read
Frank Hamilton was born in Guelph, Ontario on 15 March 1898. In January of 1916, while working as a farmer in Bickford, Ontario, he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Brigden, Ontario. Despite being 17 at the time, the recruiter listed his age as 18, and he was enrolled with the 149th Lambtons Battalion as a Private. At the time, he recorded no next of kin, but would later refer to Mason Taylor as his foster father (may be the same Mason Taylor detailed later, who also enlisted at Brigden).
In May of 1916, Private Hamilton was found guilty of being Away Without Leave (AWL) and as a result forfeited 3 days’ pay and was awarded 72 hours detention. In June 1916, Private Hamilton contracted Measles, and later developed Pulmonary Tuberculosis. A medical board was convened, and recommended 6 months of treatment, followed by discharging him from the CEF. This board recorded his age as 16. In April of 1917, Private Hamilton was discharged from the CEF.
Another medical board recommended on 7 May 1917 that Private Hamilton should be “…re-attested and taken back on strength…” (Ref A) to allow him to be treated for his Tuberculosis. A second board on 13 November 1917 made the same recommendation. As a result, Frank Hamilton re-attested on 14 November 1917, and was admitted to the hospital, specifically the Byron Sanatorium in London, Ontario. Later, he was moved to the Queen Alexandra Sanatorium in London, Ontario. The Queen Alexandra Sanatorium was opened in 1910, and was a facility particularly meant to treat those with Tuberculosis.
As his condition persisted, several other boards were convened to determine what the best treatment options were. They regularly recommended further treatment at the hospital. In these reports, they also refer to Private Hamilton’s mental condition, using terminology which would imply he had some form of learning disability. On 31 May 1918, one final medical board recommended that Private Hamilton be once again discharged from the CEF, and attached to the Invalided Soldiers’ Commission to enable four more months of treatment.
On 25 July 1918, Private Hamilton was discharged from the CEF as per the board’s recommendation, with his address after discharge listed as Brigden, Ontario. While this is the last entry on his file, the file folder lists the date of his death.
Frank Hamilton passed away on 13 October 1953. He is buried in Black Creek Cemetery in Sombra, Ontario.
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