Samuel Hall

Samuel Hall, enlisted at Mansfield on 25th November 1902 aged 21 yrs, and served with 2nd Battalion Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment, In 1904 he was stationed in Hong Kong. A recalled reservicst, he landed in France on 8th September 1914 and he died of wounds, a severe gunshot wound to left front at No. 10 General Hospital, St. Nazaire, on 4th October 1914. He is buried in St. Nazaire (Toutes-Aides) Cemetery.

Article published 16th October 1914 in the Mansfield Reporter and Sutton Times :- “MANSFIELD SOLDIER'S DEATH. “WOUNDED AT THE BATTLE OF THE AISNE. “Miss Edith Hall and Miss Florrie Hall, of Newton-street, had four brothers in the Army. Samuel had been in the 2nd Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters for about twelve years, and would have been 33 on the 27th of this month. Before joining he worked at Weatherall's boot factory in Bath-lane, which closed about this time. He had been storeman in the battalion, and had been stationed most of the time either at Plymouth or in Ireland. When the war broke out his battalion was one of the first to be called upon, and he proceeded immediately to the front. On the 14th September he wrote home as follows: “Arrived safe and well. Keeping fit. Just drove the Germans out. Not allowed to say where.” On the 27th Sept. he was wounded at the battle of the Aisne, and on the 4th of October he died at Lichfield Hospital. [?] His whereabouts were not known until Tuesday afternoon, [13th October 1914] when the official notification of his death was received at Newton-street. The officer in charge of the recruiting station telephoned to many places to try to locate him, but without avail. The Misses Hall had a card from the deceased soldier on the 4th October, saying he was wounded, and this led to enquiries being made in the absence of information. His last message was written on a piece of paper thus: “I am very bad, send them my love.” Apparently this was written in France, and was received at Mansfield accompanied by the death notice. The blow would have fallen with much less severity if his whereabouts could have been known, as his sisters would have been able to see him while alive.” Above is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918 Samuel's brother Thomas Albert Hall was killed in action 1/7/1916.