220278 Drvr. Frederick James Hall Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force C Battery Royal Canadian Horse Artillery from:Hadley, Shropshire My father, Frederick James Hall, was born in New Hadley, Shropshire, in August 1892 and after attending Hadley School he worked as a brick maker near to his home.
During the second decade of the 1900s there were several recruitment agents in Shropshire, giving lectures at various locations persuading men and women of the merits of starting a fresh life in Canada. Whether this prompted my father at the age of 20, and several other men from the village of New Hadley, Hadley and Trench to go to Canada I do not know, but he, together with travelling companions made their way to Liverpool and boarded the S.S.Grampion, a ship of the Allen Line under the command of Captain John Williams. She set sail on the 7th February 1913 and arrived at Pier 2 Halifax, Nova Scotia on February 16th. It was compulsory that to enter Canada a person had to have at least £10 on their person; my father was recorded as having £50.
Once he had cleared customs and the obligatory medical examination, he set off on the Canadian Pacific Railway for Ville St Pierre, Montreal, where I am told there were purpose built blocks of flats at the disposal of people entering Canada. Being unmarried, he decided to explore more of Canada and looked for work wherever he decided to stay. I know he spent a considerable time in Montreal, but also in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, travelling again by Canadian Pacific Railway.
In 1914 Britain declared war on Germany and on the 23 February 1915 my father joined the Canadian Militia, lst Battery Reserve Brigade, his service number being 7108. On the 10th August 1915 he enlisted at Kingston, Ontario, for overseas service in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force in C Battery, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, leaving soon after en-route for England. He sailed on the S.S.Hesperian which had been commandeered as a troop carrier, the ship docking at Devonport on the 28th August 1915, having been diverted there because of enemy action at Liverpool. “C†Battery remained in England as a training company so my father transferred to another Battery going to France where he served from November 1915 to 16th April 1919. His service as a gunner meant that he fought using the heavy gun artillery pulled by horses. He was very fond of the horses named Barney and Binks but sadly one of them was shot and died.
He fought in all the main battles including Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele and saw many horrendous sights and he lost many good friends he made during the war. During his service in France he was admitted to Rouen and Trouville hospitals with influenza and on many occasions for minor injuries and breaks to his hands and fingers. This was due to the gun carriage springing back and injuring him. Thankfully he was not wounded by enemy fire. However he was gassed during one of the gas attacks and this severely affected his health.
Armistice was signed on 11th November 1918 and on the 16th April 1919 my father returned to England and was discharged on 26th May 1919 at No.2. Canadian Discharge Depot, 113 Oxford Street, London, returning to the family home in Shropshire rather than returning to Canada. He and my mother Harriet Matilda Steventon Williams married at Holy Trinity Church, Hadley, in December 1919. For a while he worked at Joseph Sankey & Sons Ltd. now known as GKN Sankey but the gas from the war began to affect his lungs until he was only able to do very light work wherever he was fortunate enough to find it. His last employment was at the R.E.M.E. Depot at Leegomery. He died at the family home in Sunningdale Hadley at the age of 60.
He remained a Proud Salopian during his time in Canada and for his lifetime.
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