Name
Charles Leavers Hall
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Royal Engineers
Egyptian Irrigation Service
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
Charles Hall was one of three brothers from Abbots Langley that served in the Great War. He was born on 24th May 1890 at Burton Joyce in Nottinghamshire, one of four children born to John and Elizabeth Hall. In the 1891 Census John Hall worked as a Corn Merchant, but by 1901 he was living on his “Own Means”, and the family was living at “Granby”, Clifton Drive, Prittlewell, Southend. Ten years later, at the time of the 1911 Census the family had moved again, and lived at 6 Gledstanes Road, West Kensington in London.
Charles was educated at Berkhamsted School and progressed to the Central Technical College at South Kensington between 1908 and 1912 where he studied to become a Civil Engineer. His career as a Civil Engineer, which included his War Service was outlined in his application to become a Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers.
In 1913 Charles joined the Ministry of Public Works, having qualified as a Civil Engineer, and in May joined the Irrigation Department and was sent to Manswiah where he worked on the reorganisation of the Nile Protection Works. This involved designing canals, supervising the construction of minor new works and maintenance of the existing Canal. In November 1914, he enlisted as a Lieutenant with the Royal Engineers, and was sent to the Suez Canal Defence Operations, where he served until the end of January 1917.
Charles was first listed in the Abbots Langley Parish Magazine Roll of Honour in July 1915 serving as a Lieutenant with the Canal Defence Force in Egypt.
Throughout 1915 and 1916 he was in charge of the inundation works which kept a large area of land to the east of the Suez Canal flooded. This included the construction of weirs, bridges, coffer dams, and three pumping stations. In February 1917 Charles was sent as Director of Works to the Esma Barrage where he supervised work to maintain the barrage and the irrigation channels in the local area. He continued in this area until after the end of the War.
Charles was listed in the Autumn 1918 and Spring 1919 Absent Voter Records serving with the Egyptian Irrigation Service as a Captain, and his address was given at Abbots Road, Abbots Langley.
Charles Hall survived the War. His brothers Ronald and Hathorn also survived the War.
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
