Edward Hall
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Edward Hall was born in 1893 in Hucknall and was the son of Edward Hall a coal miner and Annie Hall née Wilson, they lived at 22 Ridge Balk Lane, Newton Woodlands, Doncaster. His father Edward was born in 1867 in Lincolnshire and his mother Annie Wilson was born in 1868 in Mansfield,they were married in 1891 , their marriage was recorded in the Basford Registration District , they went on to have 4 children , sadly two of whom died in infancy or early childhood, their other surviving child was Adelaide Annie born 1902 in Hucknall. Edward Hall was one of the Hucknall men who left the town to find work at the newly-developed model colliery village of Woodlands, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. In the 1911 census the family are shown living at 22 Ridge Balk Lane, Newton Woodlands, Doncaster and are shown as Edward Hall 44yrs a coal miner he is living with his wife Annie 43 yrs and their two children Edward 18 yrs a horse driver underground and Adelaide Annie 9 yrs a scholar.
Sergeant Edward Hall, enlisted at Doncaster, he initially served with the service number 17516 in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry before transferring to the 7th Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers. He landed in the Balkans on 9th July 1915 and was killed in action at Suvla, Gallipoli on 16th August 1915. He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial.
Article published in the Hucknall Dispatch on 7th October 1915 :- The many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hall, formerly of Hucknall, will be sorry to hear of the death of their only son, Sergt. E. Hall, of the Royal Munster Fusiliers. He was killed in action on the 16th August in the Dardanelles, but official notification was only received a week ago. He was an employee of the Brodsworth Colliery Company when war broke out. He quickly responded to his country’s call, and enlisted in the above-mentioned regiment, which has done such glorious work in this dramatic struggle. “He received a large portion of his training in Ireland, and went abroad with the 7th battalion of his regiment in July last, and in due course was sent to the Dardanelles. He had, it is believed, only been in the firing line about nine days when he fell in the field of honour. A Woodlands comrade of the same battalion wrote home saying he had been killed; a bullet hit him on the head and killing him instantly. Since then the parents have had official information from the War Office of their son’s death. “Sergeant Hall was a splendid soldier and athlete, and had a most promising career before him, either in the service or in his colliery work. Between the ages of 12 and 13 he won a three years’ scholarship at Mansfield, and was fully alive to the value of education. Although a miner he held a deputy’s certificate, and had he lived intended aspiring for something higher than this after the war. He would have been 23 years of age next November. “His military abilities are proved by his rapid promotion, for, having enlisted last September, [1914] he was made sergeant of a machine gun section before the year was out. His company thought a great deal of him, and gave him the highest praise. “He was a single man and resided at Woodlands, near Doncaster, with his parents for the past seven years. He was very well known and respected, and was a fine footballer, whilst as an amateur athlete and runner he took a lot of beating. Being a splendid sprinter, he won a quarter mile and two relay races at the military sports in Ireland during his training. He also won a gold watch at Woodlands, and another at Sheffield in running events, and was well-known as a competitor at amateur athletic meetings in Mansfield, Welbeck, Mexborough, York, Selby, and other places. He was a teetotaller, a cyclist, and kept himself in splendid training. “Such men as Sergeant Hall are a great loss to the country, and it is to be hoped that his place will be filled by other capable men in order to defeat the Huns. “In the above photograph Sergeant Hall is seen with his father.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918
