William Nelson Edward Hall[note 1]VC (28 April 1827 – 27 August 1904) was the first Black person, first Nova Scotian, and the third Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross due to his actions in the 1857 Siege of Lucknow. He received the medal for his actions during the Indian Rebellion.[1] During the action in which the naval gun crew with which he was serving came under heavy fire as they attacked a mosque. Hall and an officer from his ship continued to load and fire a 24-pounder gun at the walls of the Shah Nujeef mosque after the rest of the party had been killed or injured by the local resistance hoping to secure the restoration of Mughal suzerainty.
Hall volunteered for the Royal Navy in February 1852, serving at first aboard HMS Rodney. Hall fought in the Crimean War serving ashore in a Naval Brigade from Rodney at the battles of Inkerman and Sevastopol in 1854.[7] After a brief tour on HMS Victory, Hall transferred to the screw frigateHMS Shannon, where he became captain of the foretop.[8]
When the Indian Mutiny broke out in May 1857, Shannon was among the fleet escorting a troop detachment to China. Upon arrival at Singapore, news of the situation in India reached the fleet, however the fleet completed its mission, arriving at Hong Kong. There, Shannon was ordered to Calcutta (since renamed Kolkata).[8] A brigade from Shannon, comprising 450 men, was constituted under Captain William Peel. The ship was towed over 600 miles (970 km) up the Ganges River to Allahabad. Then the force fought across country to Campbell's headquarters at Cawnpore and were in time to take part in the Siege of Lucknow.[8]
On 16 November 1857 at Lucknow, India, naval guns were brought up close to the Shah Nujeef mosque, one of the key locations in the siege. One of the gun crews was short a man and Hall volunteered to fill out the position.[8] The gun crews kept up a steady fire in an attempt to breach and clear the walls, while a hail of musket balls and grenades from the opposing fighters inside the mosque caused heavy casualties. After having little effect on the walls, two guns were ordered closer. Of the crews, only Able Seaman Hall and Lieutenant Thomas James Young, the battery's commander, were able to continue fighting, all the rest having been killed or wounded, and between them they loaded and served the last gun, which was fired at less than 20 yards (18 m) from the wall, until it was breached.[8] The joint citation in the London Gazette reads:
Lieutenant (now Commander) Young, late Gunnery Officer of Her Majesty's ship " Shannon," and William Hall, "Captain of the Foretop," of that Vessel, were recommended by the late Captain Peel for the Victoria Cross, for their gallant conduct at a 24-Pounder Gun, brought up to the angle of the Shah Nujjiff, at Lucknow, on 16 November 1857.[9]
Later career
Hall remained with the Royal Navy for the rest of his career. He joined the crew of HMS Donegal in 1859. On 28 October 1859, he was presented with the Victoria Cross by Rear Admiral Charles Talbot while Donegal was anchored at Queenstown Harbour. Hall rose to the rating of Petty Officer First Class in HMS Royal Adelaide by the time he retired in 1876. He returned to his home village in Horton Bluff where he ran a small farm until his death in 1904.[10]
In 1901, the future King George V, visiting Nova Scotia, saw Hall at a parade, recognized his medals, and spoke with him.[11]
Commemorations
Plaque on Hall monument in Hantsport
He was originally buried in an unmarked grave without military honours. He was reinterred in 1954[11] in Hantsport, Nova Scotia where his grave is marked by a monument at the Baptist church. The Royal Canadian Legion (now closed) in Hantsport was named "The Lucknow Branch" in honour of his Victoria Cross action.
Hall's original Victoria Cross was repatriated from Britain in 1967 by the government of Nova Scotia and is on permanent display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax.
In November 2010, a connector road in Hantsport was named the William Hall V.C. Memorial Highway. A sign, bearing Hall's likeness, was erected on the road from Highway 101 to Trunk 1 near Hantsport.[14]
^Hall's middle name is sometimes given as "Edward" but Parks Canada historian David States located his baptismal certificate which records his middle name as "Nelson", sometimes misspelled as Nielson. States, David W. "William Hall VC of Horton Bluff, Nova Scotia Nineteenth Century Naval Hero", Collections of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society Vol. 44 (1996), p. 71
^ "Lieutenant (now Commander) Young, late gunnery officer of Her Majesty's Ship "Shannon," and Able-Seaman William Hall, "Captain of the Foretop" of that Vessel, were recommended by the late Captain Peel for the Victoria Cross, for their gallant conduct at a 24-Pounder gun brought up to the angle of the Shah Nujjiff, at Lucknow, on the 16th November, 1857." His action is deemed largely responsible for the relief of Lucknow."
^for the siege that lasted from 11 September 1854 to 9 September 1855.
^ November 1857. Awarded to the second Lucknow relief force under the command of Sir Colin Campbell
^ November 1857 – March 1858. Awarded to troops under command of Sir Colin Campbell who were engaged in final operations leading to the surrender of Lucknow and the clearing of the surrounding areas
Bibliography
States, David W. (1996). Hall VC of Horton Nineteenth Century Naval Hero. Vol. 44. Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
