Hall, Alexander Percy

BORN HULL 04/12/1894.  SON OF ALBERT ALEXANDER HALL (1863-1942) & FLORENCE KATE WILDE (1867-1941), OF 7 MALVERN AVENUE, ELLA STREET, HULL. HE HAD TWO BROTHERS AND THREE SISTERS. SON OF A FORMER, REGIMENTAL SERGEANT MAJOR, IN THE 1/4TH EYR. EDUCATED AT NEWLAND AVENUE SCHOOL. GAINED A SCHOLARSHIP TO THE CRAVEN STREET SECONDARY SCHOOL. HE WAS EMPLOYED AS A CARTING AGENTS, CLERK.

HE ENLISTED IN HULL. HE JOINED THE 4TH EYR TERRITORIALS, IN APRIL 1914. MOBILIZED AT THE OUTBREAK OF WAR, PROMOTED TO SERGEANT. HE SERVED IN FRANCE FROM APRIL 1915. WOUNDED NEAR ETAPLES IN APRIL 1916. KILLED IN ACTION, AT CRAONNE RIDGE, ON 27/05/1918, AGED 23. COLONEL WILKINSON, DSO, WROTE, “HE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARILY RELIABLE AND SPLENDID SOLDIER, AND HE WAS INVARIABLY SPOKEN OF TO ME, WITH THE GREATEST BY ALL OFFICERS, WHO ON WHATEVER OCCASION HAD HIS ASSISTANCE.” HE WAS UNMARRIED. HIS ARMY EFFECTS WERE LEFT TO HIS MOTHER, FLORENCE KATE HALL. BROTHER TO VIOLET, MILLICENT AND WILLIAM RECKARBY HALL. HIS DEATH IS RECORDED IN THE DE RUVIGNY ROLL OF HONOUR, VOLUME 4. HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE WW1 MEMORIAL AT ST JOHNS, NEWLAND, CLOUGH ROAD, HULL.
BURIED: Vendresse British Cemetery, Vendresse-Beaulne, Departement de l’Aisne, Picardie, France.

1/4^th East Yorkshire Battalion War Diary – 27^th May 1918

When the storm of gas and High Explosive shells broke over the 50^th Division, at 1am, on 27 May 1918, the 1/4^th East Yorkshire Regiment of the 150^th Brigade (the left Battalion, of the left Brigade of the Division) were disposed as follows: “A” Company held the front line,  “B” Company was in close support in Trench Falais (in CRONNE, at the disposal of the 5^th Green Howards (on the right of the 1/4^th EYR), “D” Company was in support in Marais. For two and half hours the Tornado swept the whole divisional area, causing many casualties and practically destroying the Trenches. The 1/4^th EYR was completely disorganised and rear guard actions were fought back to the River Aisne and the Bridge at Maizy, “the number which succeeded in crossing being very small.” Total strength of the 1/4^th EYR was 4 Officers and 105 Other Ranks, out of 30 Officers and 642 Other Ranks, which began, before the attack. The Battle continued until 6^th June 1918, but the 1/4^th  EYR took no further part after the 27^th May and retired to Vert La Gravelle.