HALL, Henry George
| Service Number: | 5378 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 November 1915, Enlisted at Cootamundra |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 54th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Binalong, New South Wales, Australia, 27 November 1891 |
| Home Town: | Newtown (NSW), Inner West, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Cleaner |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 16 October 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), West Wyalong St Mary's Catholic Parish WW1 Memorial, Wyalong Soldiers Memorial Hall |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5378, 54th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Cootamundra | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 5378, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 5378, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 16 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 5378, 54th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5378 awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-10-16 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Henry George HALL, (Service Number 5378) was born on 27 November 1891 at Binalong. He began work for the NSWGR as a cleaner at Harden in June 1914 and it was from this position that he joined the Expeditionary Forces on 16 November 1915. He enlisted at Cootamundra, giving his father as his next of kin.
He was killed in action in Belgium in October 1917.
Lance Corporal Hart, 5029, reported to the Red Cross:
‘Gadd, Hall and two others were in a dug-out near Westhoek; the Germans were strafing and they were buried by a shell; I helped to dig them out. Hall and Gadd were blown nearly in half the other two lost their legs and lived an hour after. Hall was buried right on the spot and I doubt the grave could be found.
He was my mate; tall, young, quiet and very well liked; he was in England a long while and came over in Sept.’
Submitted 15 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Henry George HALL (Service Number 5378) was born on 27th November 1891 at Binalong. He began work for the NSW Government Railways as a cleaner at Harden in June 1914. It was from this position that he joined the Expeditionary Forces on 16th November 1915. He enlisted at Cootamundra, giving his father as his next of kin.
Allotted to the 54th Australian Infantry Battalion he left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Ceramic’ on 14th April 1916, arriving in Suez on 16th May.
After further training in Egypt he embarked at Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. Disembarking at Marseilles he was taken on the strength of the 54th Battalion in August 1916. In November he was hospitalised with laryngitis, which developed into Influenza that was bad enough for him to be evacuated to England. After recovery, in March 1917 he was granted furlough. He then served at various units in England until September when he returned to France. He did not rejoin the 54th Battalion until 2nd October. A fortnight later he was killed in action in Belgium.
Lance Corporal Hart, 5029, reported to the Red Cross:
‘Gadd, Hall and two others were in a dug-out near Westhoek; the Germans were strafing and they were buried by a shell; I helped to dig them out. Hall and Gadd were blown nearly in half the other two lost their legs and lived an hour after. Hall was buried right on the spot and I doubt the grave could be found.
He was my mate; tall, young, quiet and very well liked; he was in England a long while and came over in Sept.’
Hart was correct in his assumption that the grave would never he found, and Hall is thus remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial.
Henry George Hall was one of three brothers to serve in the War.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board