Frederick William Hall

Frederick William Hall was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, on 21 February 1885. The son of a British Army soldier, he followed his father into military life and spent more than twelve years with the 1st Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). His service included a posting to India. He later emigrated to Canada, settled in Winnipeg and served with the 106th Winnipeg Light Infantry of the Canadian militia. The Canadian War Museum records that his earlier British service earned him the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Canadian War Museum⁠

When the First World War began, Hall was employed as a clerk in Winnipeg. On 26 September 1914, he enlisted at Valcartier, Quebec, in the 8th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. He received service number 1539 and, drawing upon his extensive military experience, rose to company sergeant-major. The battalion sailed with the First Canadian Contingent and entered the fighting on the Western Front in 1915. Canadian War Museum⁠

During the Second Battle of Ypres, the 8th Battalion fought under intense pressure as German forces attempted to break the Canadian position. On 24 April 1915, a wounded Canadian lay approximately fifteen yards in front of Hall’s trench and called for assistance. Hall attempted to reach him with another non-commissioned officer and a private, but both accompanying soldiers were wounded and the rescue failed. National Defence⁠

Despite the heavy enfilade fire sweeping the exposed ground, Hall went out a second time, now alone. He reached the wounded soldier and was lifting him to carry him back when Hall was struck in the head and fatally wounded. His Victoria Cross citation, published in The London Gazette on 23 June 1915, specifically recognized the courage of this second attempt after the danger had already been demonstrated by the failure of the first. Veterans Affairs Canada⁠

Hall’s body was not recovered. He is commemorated on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium, on panels 24, 26, 28 and 30. He was thirty years old. Canadian official sources disagree slightly over whether his recorded date of death was 24 or 25 April 1915. The Canadian War Museum records 24 April, corresponding with the Victoria Cross action, while Veterans Affairs Canada records 25 April. This discrepancy should be retained in the research notes rather than silently resolved. Canadian War Museum⁠ Veterans Affairs Canada⁠

Before the war, Hall had lived in the 700 block of Pine Street in Winnipeg. Two other residents of the same block, Leo Clarke and Robert Shankland, also received the Victoria Cross during the First World War. In 1925, Winnipeg renamed Pine Street Valour Road in honour of the three recipients. Hall was the first of the trio to perform his Victoria Cross action and the first to lose his life. Their Victoria Crosses are now preserved together by the Canadian War Museum. Canadian War Museum⁠