George Henry Hall

A Private with the 12th Battalion, George died on 20th of September 1917 at the age of 22. 

George was born at Lowestoft on 26 June 1895, a son of James and Mary Ann Hall. He was baptised at Christ Church, Lowestoft, on 11 August 1895, and his family lived at 4 Anguish Street. By 1901 they were living at 18 Factory Street, and by 1911 at 3 Worthing Road and George was a drift net fisherman. 

During the First World War George’s father was a Temporary Skipper with the Royal Naval Reserve and because of this George’s family moved to Milford Haven, and lived at 30 Starbuck Street, which means that George’s name appears on the Absent Voter register for that address. Later his parents lived at 11 Bartholomew Street, Dover, before returning to Lowestoft and living at 94 Saint Margaret’s Road.

George enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Training Reserve, service number TR/9/4141. He was transferred to the Suffolk Regiment, service number 13831, and posted to the 9th Battalion in France. He was then transferred to the Royal Scots, service number 353231. This service number is from a block of numbers allocated to the 9th Battalion, which implies that George had been posted to that battalion and was subsequently posted to the 12th Battalion. 

At 5.40 a.m. on 20 September the 12th Battalion followed the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in an attack. The immediate objective was Hannebeke Wood and at zero plus 17 elements of the battalion entered the eastern side of the wood. This was successful and the battalion mopped up pill boxes and shell holes, as they moved forward, and captured 20 prisoners, including two officers. At zero plus 88 minutes A Company were ordered to support the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in an attack on Zonnebeke Redoubt. This was completely successful and D Company dug in to positions at the Redoubt. During the day a number of counter-attacks developed and there was considerable enemy shelling.

On 20 September the battalion had around 100 casualties. George was reported missing and later it was presumed that he had been killed in action on that day.