Thomas William Hall (1883-1961)
Hartlepool teacher served in “A” Company, 103rd (Timberwolves) Battalion, CEF, commissioned as an officer in October 1918
Son of shipyard driller Frederick Hall and his wife Margaret, Thomas William was born on 11th January 1883 in Stranton, West Hartlepool. He was one of five children, all born in Hartlepool apart from his eldest sister Mary who had been born in their mother’s home town of Blyth, Northumberland. By the age of sixteen Thomas was a pupil teacher at the local board school, and he went on to take his teaching certificate where he met his future wife Maud Edmondson.
Thomas arrived in Canada on 13th May 1911 having sailed from Liverpool on the SS Tunisian and settled in Vancouver. Maud followed him the following year and they were married in St Mary’s Church, Vancouver on 9th November 1912. They lived for a short while in Prince Rupert and moved to Saanich in 1913 where they lived at 144 Loenholm Road, Thomas was principal of Burnside School.
On 15th March 1916 Thomas enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) as Private 707084 in “A” Company, 103rd (Timberwolves) Battalion. He named Maude as his next of kin and made mention of his time spent with the territorial army in England. Promoted Lance Corporal and then Corporal before leaving Canada he sailed with the battalion on board the SS Olympic from Halifax to Liverpool. They arrived on 31st July 1916 and were posted to Oxney Camp, Bramshott, Hampshire.
Early in October 1916 Thomas reverted to the rank of Private on being posted to 29th Battalion, 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division in France, where he joined them at Noulette Wood near Arras.
At the beginning of 1917 Private Hall had his pay stopped “to make good the cost of equipment lost by neglect.” Later the same month was taken ill with bronchitis, not rejoining his unit 7th February at Raimbert.
On 7th November, during the fighting at Passchendaele, Private Hall was wounded in the left foot. After being treated locally at Camiers he was invalided to England on board HS Ville de Liege and admitted to Edmonton Military Hospital, North Middlesex. After convalescence at Epsom he was discharged to duty on 24th December 1917 and granted sick furlough.
Posted on his return to 1st Reserve Battalion at Seaford he was appointed Corporal and spent three weeks training at the Musketry School at Mychett in Surrey. Two weeks after his return he voluntarily reverted to the rank of Private and was assigned to an Officers’ Training Course at Bexhill. In October of that year he was commissioned as a Lieutenant and rejoined the 1st Reserve Battalion, but the war was over before he could return to France.
Thomas re-joined the 29th Battalion when they returned to England. He travelled back to Canada with them in mid May on SS Olympic and returned to Vancouver for demobilisation in Hastings Park on 24th May 1919.
Thomas was appointed as Head of George Jay School in Victoria on his return to work and in 1929 became the Provincial Government Inspector of Schools, a job he held until he retired in 1943. He then acted as registrar for the education department for three years.
In the 1930’s, the Halls purchased land at 1248 Burnside Road West and built Stranton Lodge, where they developed a showpiece garden. Thomas William Hall died in his sleep at home in Victoria, British Columbia on 28th December 1961 and was cremated on 4th January 1962. He had been ill for some time.
After Thomas’s death Maude Hall continued to live at Stranton Lodge until 1973 when she sold the property to the Municipality of Saanich. The building and grounds were designated and still remain as a heritage site.
Civil Parish: Hartlepool
Birth date: 11-Jan-1883
Death date: 28-Dec-1961
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: 13 Stranton Place, West Hartlepool (1891 census)
17 Stranton Place, West Hartlepool (1911 census)
South Hill, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (marriage certificate)
144 Loenholm Road, Saanich, British Columbia
Colquitz, Saanich, British Columbia (1921 Canadian census)
1248 Burnside Road West, Victoria, British Columbia (death certificate
Religion: Church of England
Employment: Pupil Teacher, Board School (1901 census)
Teacher (1911 census)
Principal, Burnside School, Victoria, British Columbia (enlistment papers)
Principal, George Jay School, Victoria, British Columbia (Victoria Daily Times, 11 Dec 1919)
Provincial Government Inspector of Schools (Victoria Times Columnist, 13 August 1932)
Family: Parents: Frederick Hall, Margaret Hall (nee Dixon)
Siblings: Mary Ellen Hall, Margaret Elizabeth Hall, Frederick Barker Hall, Evaline Maud Hall
Wife: Maude Hall (nee Edmundson)
Military service:
Pre-war Service: Territorial Army
707084
Private
'A' Company,103rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force
Lance Corporal
Corporal
29th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
Voluntarily reverted to Private Oct 1916
29th Battalion, 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division, CEF
Promoted Corporal
1st Reserve Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force
Voluntarily Reverted to Private
Promoted Lieutenant 1st Reserve Battalion,CEF, October 1918
Re-joined 29th Battalion, CEF, May 1919
Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal
Gender: Male
Contributed by Jean Longstaff, Durham | Jim Busby, Canada