Mr William John Hamilton was born at 41 Josephine Street in Belfast, Ireland on 22 January 1888. Coming from a Church of Ireland family, he was the son of William Hamilton, a shipyard labourer, and Sarah Derby. 

First working as a catch boy in the shipyards, Hamilton enlisted with the Royal Navy in May 1904, listed as serving on a host of ships including the New Zealand and shore stations including Vivid II.  A small man standing at 5’ 3½”, he had light brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion. He was discharged from the Navy in June 1908 and at which point he joined the Royal Navy Reserves. 

He was married on 16 October 1910 to Elizabeth Black (b. circa 1886), a mill worker and they had two sons, Andrew (b. 1911) and Robert (b. 1912). 

Hamilton’s ship prior to Titanic had been the Olympic. He joined Titanic at Belfast for the delivery trip to Southampton where he then disembarked.

Widowed at a young age, William was remarried in 1920 to widow Mary Anderson, née Patterson. With his last address recorded as 46 Frome Street in Belfast, William Hamilton died on 5 December 1931 and he is buried in Dundonald Cemetery (plot C1 130). He was survived by both his parents.