Hamilton Head was born in Paddington, London, on 12 July 1908, the only son of Benjamin Wrightson Head (a consulting engineer) and Gladys Hamilton Head (née Marriott). The 1911 Census shows the Head family living at The Crossings, Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey. Hamilton Head attended the Stubbington House School in Fareham, Hampshire, and was a student there at the time of the 1921 Census.

He joined the Royal Navy and passed out as a Cadet on 15 September 1925, having gained one month’s seniority, and was appointed to the battlecruiser HMS HOOD. He was promoted to Midshipman on 15 May 1926 and continued to serve in HMS HOOD. Further promotion to Acting Sub Lieutenant followed on 1 September 1928. In April 1929, he was attending his ‘G’, ‘T’ & ‘N’ Courses at Portsmouth for the rank of Lieutenant. His date of joining submarines is not reported but he was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 November 1930 and was appointed to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for Submarine M2’ on 24 April 1931.

HMS M2 was lost with all hands on 26 January 1932. The submarine had been carrying out exercises in West Bay off the Dorset coast and is believed to have been flooded through the aircraft hangar – whilst in the act of surfacing to fly off the Parnall Peto aircraft.

Hamilton Head was the husband of Alice Mary Head (née Bromhead). They had been married in Christ Church, Lancaster Gate, Westminster on 1 August 1931.