Hamersley was born in
Great Haseley,
Oxfordshire, the son of Hugh Hamersley
JP,
DL (1813–1884) and Mary Anne Phillpa ( Edwards; died 1877). Initially living at Haseley House, Great Haseley, he moved to Church Manor House,
Pyrton, Oxford prior to 1861 where his father had inherited the manor that had been in the family since 1781. Alfred was not to inherit the manor. Rather, it passed to his younger brother Edward Samuel in 1884 at which time Alfred was living in New Zealand. Pyrton manor did not revert to the older line of Alfred, but rather in 1909, Edward's widow gave the manor to the son of her husband's sister, Major Hugh C.C. Ducat, who took the name Ducat Hamersley and whose son, Colonel Hugh Ducat Hamersley, inherited in 1945. In the Pyrton parish church are a number of monuments in the nave mostly to members of the Hamersley family. One of these is a brass tablet, designed by
Eric Gill, to Col. Alfred St. George Hamersley, M.P. Hamersley was educated at
Marlborough College and at
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. After finishing his education moved to London where he became a Barrister-at-law in the
Middle Temple in 1872. In 1874, he emigrated to
New Zealand where he married Miss Isabella Snow of
Wellington. Here he practiced law for about 15 years in
South Canterbury. He also took a particular interest in military matters, taking command a battery of artillery and appointed to a command a contingent at
Parihaka on the last outbreak of trouble between
Māori and pākehā in the North Island. He also founded the New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase Club. He became legal advisor to Vancouver City Corporation and was active in local business and athletics. As in New Zealand his zeal for rugby led to him joining the Vancouver Football (Rugby) Club and he eventually became the first president of the
British Columbia Rugby Union at its inaugural meeting in 1889. His sporting interests went beyond rugby and he also founded the Amateur Athletic Club of British Columbia. In 1905, he decided to retire back to England and a banquet was held on the eve of his departure at the North Vancouver Hotel. At the banquet Hamersley's speech was marked out by his professing the virtues of sport and its benefits to both community and the British Empire. He said that
"The social side of life and sport were infinitely better than stem officialdom to build up a community. To build North Vancouver as she ought to be money was nothing compared with good fellowship, manliness and the love of sport. Were all brought up in a manly way they could play the game and play it well. If we can in our little community infuse manliness of sport and square dealing we would be helping the empire as a whole." from 1911 until his death. At the outbreak of the
First World War Hamersley was carrying the rank of Colonel. Although 66 years old, he was asked by the
Army Council to form a heavy battery for service during the War, the Headquarters of which were taken at
Exeter College, Oxford. The battery was started in February 1915 but it was not until March 1916 that they were drafted overseas. Colonel Hamersley, now in his sixty-eighth year gave over the command to a younger man, Major Drought and the Batteries were commended by the authorities for their efficiency in battles such as the
Somme,
Arras and
Ypres. The War claimed twenty-six England internationals but the game bounced back quickly and in the 1921 season, in which England gained their third 'Grand Slam', the Scotland-England match at Inverleith provided the opportunity for the English and Scottish Rugby Unions to celebrate the Jubilee of the first ever International in 1871. As one of the sixteen survivors of that first match, Hamersley was invited to the match and the team's dinner afterwards to join the celebrations. In his last years Hamersley had been living in Bournemouth where the sea air was felt to be beneficial. He died there on 25 February 1929, aged 80. ==Rugby union==