A. M. Hamilton

Archibald Milne Hamilton (1898–1972) was a New Zealand-born civil engineer, notable for building the Hamilton Road through Kurdistan and designing the Callender-Hamilton bridge system.^[1] His name is also associated with the Callendar-Hamilton aeroplane shed of the late 1930s.

Early life, marriage and children

He was born in Waimate, New Zealand, the son of W.M. and J.S. Hamilton on 18 November 1898. He was educated at Waitaki Boys' High School. In 1924 he graduated from Canterbury College with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degree.^[1]

He married Bettina Matraves Collier, a medical doctor in 1934, and they had six children. The second eldest of these was the evolutionary biologist W. D. Hamilton, and one of their daughters, Mary R. Bliss, who followed her mother by becoming a doctor, achieved some notability for designing mattresses.

Early career

He worked for the Lyttelton Harbour Board, New Zealand where he designed a wave model for planning port improvements. Next he worked at the Admiralty, London, designing the Singapore Naval Base.^[1]

Hamilton Road

Between 1928 and 1932 Hamilton was the principal engineer of a British-built strategic road across Iraqi Kurdistan, which ran from Arbil, through Rawandiz, to the Iranian border near modern-day Piranshahr. The road became known as the Hamilton Road. Although Hamilton hoped the road would unite the peoples of the region, it has been fought over many times. He described the building of the road in a 1937 book entitled Road through Kurdistan.

Callender-Hamilton Bridge

During the construction of the road, Hamilton became aware of the need for strong, adaptable bridges with components that could easily be transported and erected in remote and/or difficult terrain. With British Insulated Callenders Cables, now Balfour Beatty Power Networks Ltd, he designed the Callender-Hamilton bridge system, the income from which helped support his family. The parts of the bridge were bolted together like a Meccano set, and it was popular with the British Army away from the battle front. The failure of the First World War Inglis bridge led to the development of the Bailey bridge.^[2] Hamilton successfully claimed to the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors^[3] that the 'Bailey' bridge had breached his patent. Because the 'Bailey' used a pin joining system similar to that used in a Martel design, Hamilton told the Commission the bridge should be called a 'Martel Mk2'.^[4]

The War Office, in 1936, gave Hamilton 4000 pounds for the free non-civil use of his Unit Construction bridge. In 1954 the Commission gave him 10000 pounds for the bridges used in S.E.A.C. in India.

In 1955 Hamilton told the Commission that Martel deserved more than the 12000 pounds that Bailey got, Martel was given 500 pounds.

Callendar-Hamilton Aeroplane Shed

BICC also designed an interesting type of transportable aeroplane hangar in the late 1930s for military use. Although not ordered in quantity by the Air Ministry, a number of these Callendar-Hamilton hangars were built in Britain in the late 1930s and early years of World War II. These are easily recognisable from the more numerous contemporary Bellman and T-type hangars by their intricate internal framework and external overhead door rails. Preserved examples - now listed - of these hangars can be seen today at the Museum of Flight at East Fortune near Edinburgh.

References

External links

• The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, 1966 > Expatriates – Biographies > United Kingdom > (search for:) Hamilton, Archibald Milne

Bibliography

• Francis, Paul (1996). British Military Airfield Architecture – From Airships to the Jet Age Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, Somerset, ISBN 1-85260-462-X.
• Hamilton, A.M. (1937). Road through Kurdistan: The Narrative of an Engineer in Iraq. Faber, London
  • New Edition (1958). Faber, London.
  • (2004) reprint ISBN 1-85043-637-1
• Joiner, J.H. Another River to Cross.