William Allan Jamieson was born at Dreghorn in Ayrshire, where his father was parish minister, and educated at Irvine Academy. After attending arts classes at the University of Glasgow, he emigrated to Queensland, Australia, to work on a sheep farm with relatives. He graduated in medicine at Edinburgh in 1863 as first man of his year. After nine years in general practice at Berwick-on-Tweed, he returned to Edinburgh and established a practice in Rutland Street.
