On the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is the name of 14698 Lieutenant William Hubert Hall, serving with the 14th (Service) Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own), attached to the 53rd Machine Gun Company, who died 19/02/1917.

Also at Harton Cemetery is the family Headstone.
In Loving Memory of
James hall
Lost at sea May 30th 1919
Eleanor Josephine Hall
Beloved wife of the above
Died June 24th 1932
William Hubert Haall (Lieut)
Killed n action Feb 19th 1917
Muriel Leslie Hall daughter of the above
James and Eleanor J Hall
Died 17th July 1968.

William Hubert Hall was born 19th February 1891, baptised 26th March 1891 at St Hildas Church, South Shields, the only son of two children to father James Hall, born 1859, died 30th May 1919, and his wife Eleanor Josephine Hall, born 19th December 1860, baptised 28th January 1861, died 24th June 1932, of 8, Warwick Road, South Shields. They were married on the 3rd November 1887.

The other child was a Muriel Leslie Hall, born 30th April 1889, baptised 24th June 1889 at St Hilda’s at South Shields, died 17th July 1968. She was a teacher employed by the South Shields Education Authority at Dean Road Girls School at South Shields. She was residing at 14 North Parade, Whitley Bay, Northumberland. By 1939, she was residing at Penrith at 13 Wordsworth Street. She died at Forster Avenue, South Shiels.

Eleanor Josephine Hall was the daughter of a William Chapman Hall, born 1836, died 10th September 1904, and Ann nee Scott, Hall, born 1834, died 30th January 1912 at Whitley Bay.

The father, First Engineer on S.S. Hans Jost, ship number 136761, (London), was drowned aged 60 on the 30th May 1919.

In 1901, the family were residing at 1 Bolingbroke Street, South Shields, by 1911 at 52 Mowbray Road then 8 Warwick Road, Westoe, South Shields.

William was educated at Westoe school, then St Clarks College, London.

Clark’s College was a business educational institution founded by George E. Clark in September 1880 with an emphasis on competitive examination courses for entry into civil service appointments. Their first premises opened in Chancery Lane, London and by the 1920’s they had established many branches throughout England, including Wales. The school quickly established a strong reputation and prided itself on their high standards of education and achievements of its pupils. Clark’s College was also one of the early pioneers in distance learning (correspondence courses) as well as the training of women for careers in the Civil Service during WW1 (1914-1918), both pioneering innovations at the time.

After passing his civil service examinations, he was employed by the London Savings Bank. He continued to study until he passed, in 1910, his examinations for the Customs and Excise Service. He was then transferred to the Newcastle branch. By 1910, he was appointed to the Customs and Excise service with appointments at Perth then later Glasgow.

William was residing at 52 Mowbray Road, South Shields in 1915. With his father who was a Merchant Seaman.

William Hubert Hall enlisted for short service into the Royal Fusiliers on the 8th May 1915 at Glasgow. He was 5 feet eight inches, Hazel Eyes, Dark Brown hair, 150 lbs. He was given the service number of 14698 with the rank of private.  He was posted to the 6th Battalion (Extra Reserve) Royal Fusiliers at Hounslow on the 15th May 1915.

From the 16th May he is now at Dover until the 28th June 1915.

After 45 days, he was granted a commission on the 28th June 1915 into the 14th (Service) Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own), at Hornsea as a temporary 2nd Lieutenant. His trade was an Excise Officer.

[Formed in Falmouth in November 1914 as a Service battalion, part of K4, and came under orders of 103rd Brigade, original 34th Division. On the 10th April 1915, it became a Reserve Battalion. 1st September 1916 it was absorbed into a Training Reserve Battalions in the 3rd Reserve Brigade].

William went to France on the 22nd September 1916, arriving on the 23rd. He was then attached to the 53rd Machine Gun Company on the 29th September, where he joined the Company in the field on the 1st October 1916.

The 53rd Machine Gun Company served in France and Flanders from July 1917. It landed at Le Havre on the 9th February 1916 and joined the 53rd Brigade of the 18th Division at Ribemont on the 13th February 1916. Later it became part of the 18th Machine-Gun battalion of the 18th Division.

On the 1st January 1917, he was gazetted a Temporary Lieutenant.

William was killed by  a sniper in action on the 19th February 1917, aged 26 years.

The Shields Gazette 10/03/1917
William was a Second Lieutenant in the West Yorkshire Regiment. He was a young man of considerable promise. He completed his education at Clark’s College, London, and entered the Civil Service as a clerk at the London Savings Bank. He filled a similar position in Newcastle, and when 19 years of age he passed successfully the Customs and Excise examinations, and received appointments at Perth, and later Glasgow.

He joined the army two years ago, and received his commission a few weeks afterwards. He had been at the front six months.

In a letter of sympathy to his parents, his Commanding Officer writes:- “It is with the greatest personal sorrow that I have to inform you that your son was killed in action yesterday morning. Our brigade had taken part in a successful on the 17th, and it was after visiting one of the forward posts, we had established there, in the morning of the 19th that your son was shot by a sniper. He was picked up by his man in a minute or two, but was then dead.
The whole company feel the loss of him very greatly“.

The father [James Hall], died on the SS Hans Jost, a British cargo ship requisitioned in WWI, sank on the 5th May 1919, after hitting a mine, likely near Newcastle, with significant loss of life, though specific details beyond striking the mine post-war are scarce, with some records suggesting it was sunk by a German mine, ending its wartime service after being seized by Britain in 1914.  She had been requisitioned by The Admiralty and managed by Everett & Newbigin.

James Hall is remembered on the Merchant Navy Memorial at Tower Hill.

Eleanor Josephine Hall in 1921 was visiting at Ramsays Lane, Glendale, Wooler, with  an Alice Maude Hall, born 1871, sister and Muriel Leslie Hll who were also both visiting Eleanor.

Sources: The Western Front Association; The British Newspaper Archive; The Long Long Trail; The National Archives; James Hoy Archive; Lloyds Bank Archives; Clark College Archive; War Diaries; IWM;

William Hubert Hall is remembered at Harton on H104.03, at South Shields on S86.020, S86.027 and in S86.086, page 6.