Name
William Hall
1893
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
07/02/1915
21
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
2181
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
CHOCQUES MILITARY CEMETERY
I. A. 19.
France
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
GB Kent & Sons (Kent Brushes) Memorial, Apsley,
Hemel Hempstead Town Memorial,
Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford,
Not on the Apsley End memorial
Pre War
William Hall was born in Hemel Hempstead in 1893, the son of William and Eliza Ann Hall and baptised at St Paul's Church, Hemel Hempstead on 21 July 1893. He was one of 12 children, two of whom died in childhood.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 68 Queen Street, Hemel Hempstead, when his father was working as a bricklayer's labourer.
William was educated at Queen Street School, Hemel Hempstead and received prizes for good attendance in 1900 and 1901, receiving 1s 6d as a cash prize each time. When he left school he worked at Kents Brushes, a long established company which moved to Apsley in 1901.
On the 1911 Census the family were living at 141 Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, and William was working as a Brush Factory Hand at the Brush Factory. Three of his siblings were also working there. His father continued to work as a bricklayer's labourer.
(N.B. G B Kent & Sons made brushes for the War Office, including hair brushes, toothbrushes, shoe brushes and horse brushes which were supplied to the army. The company still exists today).
His parents later lived at 2 Frogmore Crescent, Apsley End, Hemel Hempstead.
Wartime Service
William was a member of the Hertfordshire Territorial Force and he and his brother Alfred joined on 30 May 1913. They were at the annual camp at Ashridge when war was declared and William was one of the first volunteers to serve overseas. He served in France with the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment from 6 November 1914 and was in the trenches during the closing stages of the First Battle of Ypres.
The war diary for 7 February 1915 records that William died of wounds received in action when No. 2 Company sent 2 platoons to Fire Trench, near Cuinchy. A Lance Corporal was killed and William Hall and Lieutenant Pawle were both wounded. Willam died later the same day at the 1st Clearing Hospital, France. A report in the local newspaper stated that he received his injuries whilst acting as a stretcher bearer with the Red Cross Society.
He was 21 years old when he died and he is buried at Choques Military Cemetery, France.
Additional Information
His parents received a war gratuity of £3 and pay owing of £4 4s 7d. His mother was initially awarded a pension of 3s 6d a week, later increased to 5 shillings from 6.11.18.
Brother to Alfred Hall who served with the Northamptonshire Regiment and died in 1918 and is also named on the Hemel Hempstead Memorial.
Brothers Henry, George and Frederick also served but survived the war.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild, www.hemelheroes.com., www.hemelatwar.org. www.dacorumheritage.org.uk
