(Redirected from Sir Ian Hamilton)
General 'Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton'
GCB GCMG DSO TD (
January 16,
1851 –
October 12,
1947) was a general in the
British Army and is most notably known for commanding the ill-fated
Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the
Battle of Gallipoli.
Hamilton's military career began in
1871 and he served in
India and
Africa. He was Chief of Staff to
Lord Kitchener during the
Second Boer War and was knighted in 1902.
Kitchener appointed Hamilton to command the Allied expedition to gain control of the
Dardanelles straits from
Turkey and capture
Istanbul.
In retirement, Hamilton was a leading figure in the
ex-servicemen organization, the
British Legion holding the position of Scottish President. He was also a founding member and vice-president of the
Anglo-German Association in 1928 which promoted pro-German sentiment in Britain. Hamilton remained with the Association after
Adolf Hitler's rise to power and described himself as "an admirer of the great Adolph [sic] Hitler," dismissing ''
Mein Kampf'' as a youthful excess. Hamilton also expressed
anti-Semitic sentiments and supported a proposed ban by the Association on Jewish members - the ban was not implemented, instead the Association dissolved on April 2, 1935 in light of the worsening situation in Germany.
[1]
References
1. , , Ian, Kershaw, Penguin, ,
External links
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