It's been 87 years since Carter G Woodson established a week long US celebration of black history. It was then held during the 2nd week of February as it was within that week that America could celebrate the birth anniversaries of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas who had done so much for the cause of the African American. By 1976 it would become a month long celebration there and almost 20 yrs later it would be adopted here in Canada as a month long time to celebrate black history. It is now also observed in England and possibly elsewhere.
It is therefore fitting that this week's Victoria Cross blog is about a black man. A man who would not only be the third Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross, be the first for our country to be a navy man having done so, and more importantly being the first IN THE WORLD to be a black man who would earn the British Commonwealth's highest medal ever for bravery in the face of the enemy.
It is therefore fitting that this week's Victoria Cross blog is about a black man. A man who would not only be the third Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross, be the first for our country to be a navy man having done so, and more importantly being the first IN THE WORLD to be a black man who would earn the British Commonwealth's highest medal ever for bravery in the face of the enemy.
It is believed that the hero of today's blog, Mr. William Hall was born, one of 7 children to parents who were both slaves and who had escaped the oppression of the American South. While most sources have William with a middle name of Edward, his baptism papers of 25 April 1829, at Horton, Nova Scotia have him with the middle name of Neilson.
William would grow up on a farm and at a very early age probably followed his father off to his trade in ship buiding. At age 15 or 17 William would leave home and get involved in maritime trade on boats between London and Boston. After about 2 years William would enlist and spend the next 2 1/2 years in the US Navy. His first of three vessels would be the USS Franklin pictured above. Little is known of his US Navy experience other than that he also served on the USS Savannah and the USS Ohio and was fighting in the War with Mexico very briefly before his term of enlistment elapsed.
William would grow up on a farm and at a very early age probably followed his father off to his trade in ship buiding. At age 15 or 17 William would leave home and get involved in maritime trade on boats between London and Boston. After about 2 years William would enlist and spend the next 2 1/2 years in the US Navy. His first of three vessels would be the USS Franklin pictured above. Little is known of his US Navy experience other than that he also served on the USS Savannah and the USS Ohio and was fighting in the War with Mexico very briefly before his term of enlistment elapsed.
William would then go back into Merchant services and during one of his trading ventures to England he decided to leave that service and join the Royal Navy. His date of enlistment was 161 years ago this week...on Feb 2nd. And Hall, pictured to the right, would start service on the HMS Rodney, the first of 11 ships he would serve on over the next 25 years. Starting out as a seaman, Hall would undergo lots of training over the years and at retirement would be a First Class Petty Officer. His last several years of service was as a gunnery instructor and before that he was the Captain of the Top... being the highest sail on the vessel, and even from there he would command big powerful guns on the main deck many feet below him. As a member of the Rodney crew, Hall became a member of the Naval Brigade during the Crimean War and would fight in the battles in bombarding the Sebastopol, battles at Inkerman and the storming of the Redan. He would be awarded the Crimean and Turkish medals with clasps for Inkerman and Sebastopol on the Black Sea in the Ukraine. After his service in the Crimea he would switch ships and start service of the Shannon. But not long into the enlistment Hall's record would be recorded with the letter "R" which means he ran... or deserted service. Nothing can be found about this but within several months he returned to the vessel and whatever explanations must have been good enough for the officers as he was soon right back on the vessel perfoming his duties again.
With the Crimean War coming to an end the Shannon was ordered to patrol an area in China and headed off to her new station but soon the Indian Mutiny began and several vessels including the Shannon were needed to help rescue many British officers and men, wifes and childern that had to take refuge against mutineers at Luchnow and elsewhere. Upon arrival at Calcutta (area B on map) they had to travel by land carrying and dragging many supplies some 600 miles inland to Lucknow, and there the Mutineers were holding the Brits hostage as they could not get out of their stronghold.
They had been held virtually for months as prisonere until Naval Captain Peel's brigades of sailors and marines arrived. Heated battles led to many dead on both sides. With the ordering of two huge guns to the very front of the wall all of the men from one gun were killed as were many from the 2nd. Hall volunteered to take a position on the 2nd gun and soon all but he and a Lt. were killed but they kept firing away. They had gotten so c;lose to the wall that they were actually protected as the slits for riffle firing were on angles that did not allow them to shoot the two sailors. However, as they continally loaded and fired the guns, the recoil forced the gun backwards and back into the kill zone. Each time it need to be towed back in to load and refire and of course after each firing, again they would have to go out into the kill zone to drag the gun back in. But eventually with continual pounding they drove a hole in the wall... and made it bigger and bigger and ultimatly the brigade could crawl through to the rescue of the officers, their wifes and children.
Willam Hall and the officer... Lt. Young would be later awarded thn Victoria Cross for their incredible, bravery. Hall would continue to serve for many more years and would then return to his hometown in rural Nova Scotia and would work a small farm and live with 2 sisters. When he died, he was buried in an unmarked grave but years later his remains were moved to Hantsport where a monument was created in his honor.
William Hall's Victoria Cross came with a blue ribbon as was the case of all naval VC's until the creation in the early 1900's of the Royal Airforce. At that time the blue was withdrawn from service and all medals from then forth came with the crimson, or as some call it, the red ribbon.
They had been held virtually for months as prisonere until Naval Captain Peel's brigades of sailors and marines arrived. Heated battles led to many dead on both sides. With the ordering of two huge guns to the very front of the wall all of the men from one gun were killed as were many from the 2nd. Hall volunteered to take a position on the 2nd gun and soon all but he and a Lt. were killed but they kept firing away. They had gotten so c;lose to the wall that they were actually protected as the slits for riffle firing were on angles that did not allow them to shoot the two sailors. However, as they continally loaded and fired the guns, the recoil forced the gun backwards and back into the kill zone. Each time it need to be towed back in to load and refire and of course after each firing, again they would have to go out into the kill zone to drag the gun back in. But eventually with continual pounding they drove a hole in the wall... and made it bigger and bigger and ultimatly the brigade could crawl through to the rescue of the officers, their wifes and children.
Willam Hall and the officer... Lt. Young would be later awarded thn Victoria Cross for their incredible, bravery. Hall would continue to serve for many more years and would then return to his hometown in rural Nova Scotia and would work a small farm and live with 2 sisters. When he died, he was buried in an unmarked grave but years later his remains were moved to Hantsport where a monument was created in his honor.
William Hall's Victoria Cross came with a blue ribbon as was the case of all naval VC's until the creation in the early 1900's of the Royal Airforce. At that time the blue was withdrawn from service and all medals from then forth came with the crimson, or as some call it, the red ribbon.
Two years ago Canada Post issued the commemorative stamp for William Hall, In the image is a likeness of the Shannon, and this hero is wearing his Victoria Cross without a ribbon. It was apparently stolen from him years after returning from Britain. He is also wearing the Indian Mutiny Medal, the Turkish Crimea Medal and the Crimea medal with several campaign bars on two of the ribbons.There are a number of memorials throughout Nova Scotia for Hall. A road is named after him. A legion is also named in his honor. His grave and monument exist at Hantsport and there are other memorials in Nova Scotia and elswehere for this first Black Victoria Cross recipient ever.
It is my understanding that there has also been a move afoot which is gaining ground at Ottawa for the creation of and mounting of a bust at the Parliament Buildings in his honour.
In addition, for years though recently cancelled I believe due to injuries, there was a naval gun run in which west coast sailors competed with the east coast sailors in a naval gun run. This was in commemoration for the heroism of Mr. Hall. In these events teams would compete to see who was fastest dismantling a field gun, taking it over and obstacle, pitting it back together, firing it, them doing the same in reverse.
But as I say, I beleve this is no longer part of the various military tattoo's in Canada.
A shame!
Bart
It is my understanding that there has also been a move afoot which is gaining ground at Ottawa for the creation of and mounting of a bust at the Parliament Buildings in his honour.
In addition, for years though recently cancelled I believe due to injuries, there was a naval gun run in which west coast sailors competed with the east coast sailors in a naval gun run. This was in commemoration for the heroism of Mr. Hall. In these events teams would compete to see who was fastest dismantling a field gun, taking it over and obstacle, pitting it back together, firing it, them doing the same in reverse.
But as I say, I beleve this is no longer part of the various military tattoo's in Canada.
A shame!
Bart
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