William Hall
28 April 1827 – 25 August 1904
Place of birth	Horton's Bluff, Nova Scotia
Place of death	Avonport, Nova Scotia
Resting place	Hantsport Baptist Church Cemetery, Nova Scotia
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Quartermaster
Battles/wars	Crimean War Indian Mutiny
Awards	Victoria Cross

William Edward Hall VC (28 April 1827 – 25 August 1904) was the first black person, first Nova Scotian, and third Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross. Born at Horton's Bluff, Nova Scotia, in 1827 as the son of freed American slaves, Hall joined the merchant navy as a seaman, at the age of 17. Later, he volunteered for the Royal Navy at Liverpool, England, February 1852.

When the Indian Mutiny broke out in May 1857, Hall was on HMS Shannon en route to China. She was intercepted and ordered to Calcutta (city has been renamed Kolkata). A Shannon Brigade was formed of several gunners, sailors, and marines, under Captain William Peel. The ship was towed over 600 miles up the Ganges River to Allahabad. Then the force fought across country to Campbell's headquarters at Cawnpore and were in time to take part in the relief of Lucknow.

On 16 November 1857 at Lucknow, India, naval guns were brought up close to the Shah Nujeff mosque, and the gun crews kept up a steady fire in an attempt to breach the waIls, while a hail of musket balls and grenades from the mutineers inside the mosque caused heavy casualties. Able Seaman Hall and Lieutenant Thomas James Young, the battery's commander, were eventually the only survivors, all the rest having been killed or wounded, and between them they loaded and served the last gun.His citation reads:

Lieutenant (now Commander) Young, late Gunnery Officer of Her Majesty's ship " Shannon," and William Hall, "Captain of the Foretop," of that Vessel, were recommended by the late Captain Peel for the Victoria Cross, for their gallant conduct at a 24-Pounder Gun, brought up to the angle of the Shah Nujjiff, at Lucknow, on the 16th of November, 1857.^[1]

Hall remained with the Navy, rising to the rating of Quartermaster Petty Officer in HMS Peterel before he retired in 1876 and returned to his home village in Horton Bluff. Hall is buried in Hantsport, Nova Scotia where his grave is marked by a monument at the Baptist church. His Victoria Cross is preserved at the Nova Scotia Museum.

[edit] References

• Biography from the Nova Scotia Museum
• [1]
• Legion Magazine article on William Hall
• Find-A-Grave profile for William Hall
• Photos of William Hall monument at Hantsport, Nova Scotia