| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
John was born in Kirkburn near Driffield in 1892, one of five children born to John Hall (1855-1910), a gardener, from Driffield, and his wife, Sarah Jane Hall, born in Fimber in 1859. The family later moved to Lund and belonged to the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The family moved to Tickton and at the time of the war his widowed mother lived at 36 Norwood Grove, Beverley. John worked as a gardener, for a market gardener in Beverley.
John enlisted in Beverley on 10 Dec 1915. He served as a private in the 10th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment, the 1st Hull Pals. He arrived in France on 3 Jun 1916. He was given special leave to return to Beverley where he married Ethel Jane Baker on 6 Sep 1916, Ethel was born 1894 in Beverley. Their daughter Ethel May, was born the 7 oct 1916.
John was probably involved in the actions on the Somme at Serre on 13 Nov 1916 and in the Battle of Arras at Oppy Wood in May 1917 but survived. He had a further period of leave in Aug 1917. In June 1918 he had a spell in military hospital with influenza. He re-joined the 10th on 3 Aug 1918 but one month later on 3 Sep 1918 he was listed as missing in action. It was not until March 1919 that his buried body was located 3.75 miles north of Armentieres in northern France. He was reburied at Le Grand Beaumart British Cemetery at Steenwerck, France. He was awarded the War and Victory Medals. He is commemorated on the Hengate Memorial, on the East Riding Memorial in Beverley Minster and on the Tickton War Memorial where he had lived for a while before the war.
John’s older brother, Edward Hall (WL/8/109) died during training for the army in the autumn of 1916 and is buried in Beverley, St Martin’s cemetery. |