In Level Crossing Cemetery Fampoux near Arras is the Commonwealth War Grave of 38585 Private Joseph Hall serving with the 20th (Tyneside Scottish) Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers who died 27/04/1917.
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Joseph Hall was born in 1891 at Hetton le Hole, County Durham, one of 5 known children. He was the 2nd born of 4 sons and had a younger sister.
His father, Thomas Henry Hall, born 1862 at Liskeard, Cornwall, at the age of 11 was living with his parents at Wallon Street, Greenwich. Joseph’s grandfather Thomas Robert was a mariner.
Thomas Henry migrated to the north east and was married in the district of Houghton le Spring in 1889 to Sarah Nurse native of Newfield, County Durham born in 1859.Employed as a coal miner, he and his family were living in 1891 at 21, Henry Street, Hetton le Hole, later moving to William Street when he was promoted to deputy below ground.
Joseph Hall on the outbreak of war enlisted at Sunderland, assigned firstly as Private 12378 East Yorkshire Regiment 8th Battalion. He then transferred to the 7th Battalion and later to the 20th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, one of Kitchener’s New Armies, as Private 38585. Unfortunately, his military record no longer exists, being one of the 70% destroyed during the blitz of WW2, however the aforementioned Regiments fought in the same sector during WW1.
Prior to his departure he was married during the 1st quarter Jan/Feb/Mar 1915 in the district of Houghton to Edith Mary Reed born at Darlington in 1898.
Private 38585 Joseph Hall departed for the Western Front as of January 1916 and saw action during the Battles of the Somme 1916 and in the Arras sector 1917. He was killed in action April 24th 1917 and interred at Level Crossing Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, grave I. B. 34. He was 27 years old.
His widow Edith Mary received all monies due to him, his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 130, Church Street, Monkwearmouth, and a pension for herself, until she was remarried to Frank Roney in 1919 in the district of Sunderland. Both of her marriages appear to have been childless.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Joseph Hall is remembered at Sunderland in S140.048 and at Hetton le Hole on H125.06
