Photo: Geordie at War Project

In Gateshead East Cemetery is a family headstone which reads::

In loving memory of
James William
eldest son of
John & Elizabeth Hall
who died Dec. 11th 1903
aged 22 years.
Also
Robert Bainbridge,
their youngest son
Pte. 14th Batt. Canadians,
killed at Loos, France,
August 17th 1917
Aged 27 years.
Also the above John Hall
died July 27th 1924
aged 69 years
Also John Hall
second son of the above
died May 26th 1926
aged 42 years
Also Elizabeth wife of the above
John Hall
who died January 15th 1938
aged 81 years.
"Until the day break".

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

The son of Scottish bookkeeper John Hall and his Sunderland born wife Elizabeth Melvin, Robert was the youngest of their six children. The family was made up of Margaret, Annie, James, John and Ellen and at the time of Robert’s birth they were living in Hartington Street, Elswick. Father John was a clerk at a local brewery and all the boys followed in their father’s footsteps and became clerks. The 1911 census shows that the family had moved across the river to live in Granville Street, Gateshead where Robert was a clerk for a local carrier.

By 1915 Robert had emigrated to Canada and was working as a clerk in Montreal, living in McGill College Avenue. He had no previous military experience when he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 5th February 1916 becoming Private 919006 with “B” Company 199th (Irish Rangers) Battalion. He rose through the ranks being promoted to Lance Corporal, Corporal and by September 1916 to Sergeant.

Robert spent a month in Royal Victoria General Hospital, Montreal in November and two weeks after returning to his unit the battalion sailed for England on board the SS Olympic. Arriving in Liverpool on Boxing Day 1916 they were posted to Chadderton Camp, Oldham.

May 1917 saw the 199th absorbed into the 23rd Reserve Battalion, based at Witley on the south coast where Sergeant Hall voluntarily reverted to the rank of Private in order to be posted to France, where he joined the 14th (Royal Montreal Regiment) Battalion, part of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division at Thelus Cave at the end of June.

Following their success at Vimy Ridge the 1st Canadian Corps were given the task of taking Hill 70, east of Loos, from the Germans, where the 14th Battalion were given the task of acting as support in case of counter attacks. They helped deliver materials to those on the front line and on return trips carried stretchers of wounded men. On one such trip two men refused to leave duty when wounded themselves and carried on working until killed by a shell in Canteen Alley. One of these men was Private Robert Hall. A memorial cross was later erected close to where he fell.

Robert Bainbridge Hall is remembered in Gateshead on G39.004 page 95

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Hall