John Joseph Hall (1899-1917)
Boy blacksmith from Whickham served in the Royal Navy
John Joseph Hall was born on 14 July 1899 in Whickham. He was the son of coal miner John Shippen Hall (1874), from Tanfield and Mabel Hall nee Wright from Whickham. His parents married in 1895 and John was the eldest of three children with a brother and a sister. In 1901 he lived in Colling Street, Dunston-on-Tyne and by the time of the 1911 census his family had moved to 3 Elsdon Terrace, Wallsend, Northumberland.
John joined the Royal Navy on his 16th birthday as a boy 2nd class. It was his intention to serve for 12 years from the date of his 18th birthday. His civilian occupation before joining is recorded as a blacksmith. He was taller than the average boy entrant when he joined, standing at five feet 5 inches tall with a 35 inch chest.
After six months training at HMS Ganges at Shotley, near Harwich, Suffolk, John was promoted to boy 1st class. He joined the crew of HMS Vanguard on 2 May 1916. Vanguard was a St Vincent-class dreadnought assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets. During World War I her service generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea although she did participate in the Battle of Jutland shortly after John joined her crew.
Shortly before midnight on 9 July 1917 at Scapa Flow, Orkney, Scotland, Vanguard suffered an internal explosion of one of her magazines. She sank immediately killing an estimated 804 men including John. There were only two survivors. John’s body was not recovered for burial. He is honoured on the Chatham Naval Memorial and remember locally on the Roll of Honour 1914-18 at Dunston Cottage Hospital.
John Joseph Hall was awarded the Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal for his service in World War One.
Civil Parish: Whickham
Birth date: 14-Jul-1899
Death date: 09-Jul-1917
Armed force/civilian: Navy
Residence: Colling Street, Dunston-on-Tyne (1901 census)
3 Elsdon Terrace, Wallsend, Northumberland (1911 census)
Employment: Blacksmith (1915 service record)
Family: Parents: John Shippen Hall (1874), Mabel Hall nee Wright (1875)
Siblings: William Hall (1903), Mabel Hall (1908)
Military service:
J42117
Boy 2nd class, 14 July 1915
Boy 1st class, 14 January 1916
HMS Ganges, July 1915 - March 1916
HMS Pembroke I, March 1916 - April 1916
HMS Vanguard, May 1916 - July 1917
Medal(s): Star
Victory Medal
British War Medal
Memorial(s): Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent
Roll of Honour 1914-18, Dunston Cottage Hospital
Gender: Male
Contributed by David D, Stanley, Co Durham
