Lieutenant William Hamilton Hewitt was born 2 September 1877 in Toronto, son of John Hewitt and Elizabeth Thompson.

He joined the Queen’s Own in or before 1894, spending the majority of his career in H Company. He was promoted to Corporal in 1896, Sergeant in 1899, Colour Sergeant in 1905 and in 1907 was promoted to Staff-Sergeant and appointed as Sergeant-Major of the Battalion.

In 1899 and 1900 he served with the Special Service Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment in the South African War.

In 1908 he was commissioned to Lieutenant at which rank he attended at least one Course of Instruction of Infantry (Subaltern). He is last listed on the paylist of March to November 1910 as Lieutenant still part of H Company.

Hewitt was awarded Queen’s South African Medal with three bars (Paardeberg, Driefontein and Cape Colony), and the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal for 20 years of service.

He is listed as attending the 35^th Annual Sergeants’ Mess dinner at the Queen’s Hotel in Toronto in 1925.

On 14 August 1913 he married Mary Helen O’Malley and they had at least two daughters.

He worked as an auditor, died 25 August 1947 of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, and is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

Timeline of Service:

• 1894, listed as Private, H Coy, paylist;
• 1896, listed as Corporal, H Coy, paylist;
• 1899, listed as Sergeant, paylist;
• 23 Oct 1899 – Joined Special Service Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment for service in South Africa
• 13 Aug 1900 – Invalided to England
• 31 Aug 1900 – Completed South African Service
• 1901, listed as Sergeant, H Coy, paylist;
• 1902, listed as Sergeant Hewitt, paylist;
• 1903, listed as Sergeant Hewitt, paylist;
• 1905, listed as Colour Sgt, H Coy, paylist;
• 1906, listed as Colour Sgt, 3 Coy, paylist;
• 1907, listed as Sgt-Maj, paylist;
• 18 Sep 1908 – Applied for South African War Volunteer Bounty
• 1908, listed as Lieutenant Hewitt, paylist;
• 1908, Mar-Apr, Lieutenant Hewitt is listed on a certificate as attending Training of Military Instruction;
• 1909, March, April, listed as passed Garrison Class of Instruction, Infantry;
• 1908, Apr-Oct, listed as Lieutenant, paylist, H Coy;
• 1910, Mar-Nov, listed as Lieutenant, paylist H Coy;
• 21  Aug 1915 – Enlists with 35th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and eventually becomes Lance Sergeant
• 20 Jun 1916 Transfers to 20th Battalion and reverts to Private
• 23 Aug 1916 – Receives shrapnel wound to the knee and sent to England
• 19 Mar 1918 – Discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force
• 1925, attended 35^th Annual Sergeants’ Mess dinner at Queen’s Hotel;
• Unk, awarded Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal