Lieutenant Colonel R. B. Hamilton, VD was born in Toronto 10 October 1848, son of Sidney Smith Hamilton and Ann Coulthard. On 30 April 1878 he married Mary Kate Pellatt whose brother would later be known as Major General Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. They had one daughter Beatrice Maud who would marry the author Stephen Leacock.
Hamilton died 8 April 1928 at the age of 80 and is buried in Necropolis Cemetery, Toronto.
Service Record
- by 1867 – Rifleman in No. 5 Company, Queen’s Own Rifles
- 1868 – Lance Corporal
- 1869 – Corporal
- 1870 – Colour Sergeant
- 4 August 1871 – Appointed Ensign
- 31 May 1872 – Promoted Lieutenant
- 1875 – On service during Pilgrimage Riots
- 28 January 1876 – Promoted Captain
- 1877 – On service during the Belleville Riots
- 29 Feb 1884 – Promoted Major
- 30 Aug 1889 – Promoted Lieutenant Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer
- 26 Mar 1896 – Relinquished command
- 8 July 1897 – Transferred to Reserve of Infantry Officers
- Awarded Volunteer Decoration (VD)
The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archive 