Per Britannica, Thomas Watt Hamilton became a boy scout leader when he was only 20 years old. However, The Independent reports that by the age of 22, he had been asked to leave the organization. Although it’s unknown what exactly triggered this dismissal, Britannica notes that it’s believed that Hamilton acted inappropriately toward the boys. He continuously tried to return to the boy scouts to no avail. Ultimately, this threw Hamilton over the edge as rumors persisted that he was a pedophile. Meanwhile, he ventured into establishing his own boy’s clubs while fighting with officials for over two decades about his banishment from the boy scouts.
According to The Herald, Hamilton believed that the organization was against him and had contributed to his downfall in the local community. The publication explains that seven letters were written for Scottish Secretary Michael Forsyth and parents outlining his grievances. Hamilton, who lived in Dunblane, targeted the school and its teachers. Per The Independent), he described himself as being a victim of a “sinister witch-hunt.” Hamilton believed that they had labeled him as a pedophile, which he said ruined his name and the boy’s club organization that he had founded.
He wrote (per The Herald), “I have always run my clubs in a fair, proper and competent manner and ensured that no child or parent has any proper or legitimate complaint. Nevertheless, this defamation coming from the respected source of local primary school staff has caused untold problems everywhere within the region and beyond.”
