Hamilton Jefferson was born on 19 August 1897 in Groton, Massachusetts, USA, the fourth of the six children of George David Jefferson (1863-1937) and Rebecca Gorham Jefferson née Kettle (1864-1918). The 1900 United States Federal Census shows him still residing with his family in Groton, Massachusetts.
He and his whole family left Boston, Massachusetts, and arrived in the Port of Liverpool on 26 July 1907.
He was shown as a 13-year-old schoolboy on the 1911 census return form that was completed by his father, living in a 12 roomed property at 22 Bardwell Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire, with his parents, five siblings: Ruth Margaret Jefferson (1892-1970), Howard St. John Jefferson (1894-1915), Gorham Kettell Jefferson (1895-1959), Kenneth Stuart Jefferson (1899-1965), Francis Howard Vose Jefferson (1900-1937), a 12-year-old schoolboy visitor called Mani Visutr Kosa from Bangkok, Siam (now called Thailand), together with a domestic house-maid. The census form shows that he and his five siblings had all been born in the USA but were recorded as 'British by Parentage'. Although his mother had been born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was 'British by Marriage' as his father had been born in Ontario, Canada. His father described his own occupation as 'Private means'.
He attended the Dragon School, Bardwell Road, Oxford, and was at School House, St Bees School, Copeland, St Bees, Cumbria from 1912-1914. Soon after the commencement of World War One he joined the army obtaining his commission in 1915. He was serving as a Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion (Territorial), of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry when he was killed in action, aged 19 years, on 16 August 1917 and as he has no known grave he is commemorated on stone 96A of Tyne Cot Memorial, Vijfwegestraat, 8980 Zonnebeke, Belgium.
By 16 December 1918 his army effects totalling £89-12s-3d had been sent to his father who was living at 35 Bryanston Street, Marylebone and he was posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal. He is shown as Jefferson H. Lieut. on the Quebec Chapel war memorial at the Church of The Annunciation, Bryanston Street, Marylebone and incorrectly as Lieut. H. J. Jefferson on the St Bartholomew's WW1 memorial. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website, on the Roll of Honour at the Dragon School, Oxford and on a brass plaque in the chapel at St Bees School.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
