Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Reginald “Reg” Dalton McKellar-Hall was born on the 7th of February 1897 in Brocken Hill, NSW to Lawyer Anthony James Alexander Hall (Adelaide University LL.B 1888) and Florence Mary McKellar (See Appendix 1).
Reg and his older brother Anthony attended the local Broken Hill schools initially, but they were sent to St Peter’s College, Adelaide to complete their secondary education. After completing his Senior and Higher Year examinations, Anthony enrolled at Adelaide University to study for an engineering degree. It was Reg's plan to do medicine.

After completing his Senior Public Examinations in 1913, Reg stayed on at St Peter’s College in 1914 to study for the Higher Year subjects which he needed to gain entrance into the Medical Faculty at Adelaide University. One of the compulsory subjects was Biology, which was conducted only by Adelaide University and required him to enroll. He passed Biology in the November 1914 examinations. The following year he needed to reenroll again at St Peter’s College to complete another required subject (Physics) for entry to Medicine. He passed the physics examination and was now set to begin his medical studies in 1916 at the age of 19.

Reg was a fine all-round sportsman and was a member of the Firsts cricket team and football teams in 1914. In 1915 he was captain of the football team and vice-captain of cricket.

Adelaide University Football Club

Although playing football for St Peter’s College in 1914, including the important intercollegiate match against Prince Alfred College in July, it appears Reg was enticed (probably by some of his old St Peter’s College mates) in August to play for the Adelaide University B team, which at the time was second on the premiership table in the Adelaide Students Association Competition. As a bona-fide student at Adelaide University studying biology, he was qualified to play. Their rivals, Adelaide High School, had beaten Adelaide University earlier in the season and were top of the premiership table at the end of the minor round.

After having eliminated Christian Brothers College in the semi-final (with Hall in the best players) the following week, in the premiership match, they would come up against Adelaide High School again who had also won their semi-final. With Reg again in the best players, the University team won by a narrow 5-point margin.

The rules of the competition in those days allowed the team that finished minor round premiers and lost the grand-final the right to a "challenge match". In that match the University team repeated its win over Adelaide high School, this time by a larger margin.

It appears from the fact that Reg is not in the 1914 AUFC B Grade Premiership Team photo, that he did not play in the September Challenge final. This could be explained by the fact that the St Peter’s College football team was in Melbourne at the time for the annual matches against Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College.

World War I Service

At the beginning of 1916 Reg abandoned his plans to study medicine at Adelaide University and enlisted on 13th March 1916 alongside many of his St Peters Football and Cricketing teammates.

This would have been a great worry to his parents having lost their eldest son Anthony at Gallipoli in May 1915.

Further tragedy followed to make things worse when his father (Anthony Snr) died on 7th March 1917 leaving his wife in desperate circumstances. He had died intestate and heavily in debt. In January just prior to his father's death, Reg had been on the front lines in France and had been promoted to the rank of Gunner.
With his Mother, who was unwell, almost deaf, and penniless, his uncle contacted the Army Command to request Reg to be discharged on compassionate grounds.

After the War and Medical Studies

After being discharged from the army on compassionate grounds in 1917, Reg was supported by his uncle in Melbourne and was able to realise his ambition to study medicine. Enrolling at Melbourne University in 1918, he completed his MBBS degree and spent two years residency at Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Orthopaedic Surgeon and Life in Perth

Moving to Perth in 1926 and after gaining experience overseas, Reg became a specialist orthopaedic surgeon at the Royal Perth Hospital. In December 1928, Reg married Melbourne girl Linda Anderson who he had met during his time at Melbourne University and Royal Melbourne Hospital.

During his long career as an orthopaedic surgeon he was known to have special interests in the following areas:

Reg was very much involved with the rehabilitation of soldiers who has suffered amputations and other serious injuries to limbs and fought hard for governments to fund care and facilities for them.

He was very interested in the politics of medicine and served a term as president of the Orthopaedics Association of Australia in 1961.

His other great interest was in the care and treatment of crippled children. This arose after the Polio epidemics in Australia in the 1940's and 50's. He was for many years Honorary Surgeon and President of the Western Australian Crippled Childrens Association.

Reg was also a very keen and low handicap golfer and an esteemed and long serving member of the Lake Karrinyup Golf Club.

Reg and his wife Linda travelled extensively overseas and carried a high profile on the Perth social set.

Of their children, a daughter Sonia McKellar-Hall, was a champion swimmer representing Western Australia in the National Championships. She held numerous State junior and senior records.

Tragically the McKellar-Hall's lost their son, Anthony Basil in a car accident in 1956 when he was only 18. He had been named in memory of Reg's brother who had been killed at Gallipoli at the age of 19.

Linda passed away in 1979 aged 76. Reg died in 1991 aged 94.

Profile added with the permission of the author Rob O'Shannassy.

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.