Colonel Arthur John Hall

6 April 1868 to 21 October 1934

HAL00102

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Newcastle under Lyme

1868

Arthur John Hall, son of James and Mary (nee Twigg) Hall (HAL00093), was born on 6 April 1868 at Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire and baptised there on 24 May 1868 (St George’s, Newcastle under Lyme Parish Records). His birth was registered in the second quarter of 1868 (GRO Staffordshire Vol 6B Page 62).

1871

1871 Census – Queen Street, Newcastle under Lyme

James Hall, 33, timber merchant

Mary Hall, 32

Catherine Alice Hall, 5

James Henry Hall, 4

Arthur John Hall, 2

Marianne Hall, 1

Robert Hugh Hall, 0

A servant and nurse

Stoke on Trent

1881

1881 Census – Seabridge, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire

James Hall, 43, timber merchant

Mary Hall, 42

Catherine Alice Hall, 15

Arthur John Hall, 12

Marianne Hall, 11

Robert H Hall, 10

Elizabeth Twigg, Mary’s sister, a ‘companion’, 35

A cook and a housemaid

1890

Arthur Hall, a merchant, married Catherine Mira Stubbs, daughter of Charles Stubbs, on 21 October 1890 at the Anglican church of St Saviour, Aston with Burston, Staffordshire (St Saviour, Aston with Burston Parish Records).

Their wedding reimagined by artificial intelligence

Arthur Hall Catherine (nee Stubbs) Hall

1892

Arthur Hall joined the North Staffordshire Volunteer Regiment.

1895

Their daughter, Mary Catherine Hall (1894 to 1970) (HAL00110) who later married Edgar Banfield, was born on 1 July 1894.

1897

Their son, Henry Hall (1897 to 1977) (HAL00111) who later married Kathleen Murphy, was born on 24 May 1897.

1898

Their daughter, Kathleen Mira Hall (1898 to 1899) (HAL00112), was born on 20 September 1898, but died on 27 February 1899.

1901

1901 Census – Brampton, Newcastle under Lyme

Arthur John Hall, 32, timber merchant

Catherine Mira Hall, 34

Mary C Hall, 6

Henry Hall, 3

Three servants

Arthur John Hall in back row, Marianne Baker neé Hall in doorway,

James Hall of Kynsal Lodge, Henry Hall born 1897, Mary Hall neé Twigg, Catherine Mira Hall neé Stubbs with Mary Catherine Hall on her knee (Ann Dalgleish records)

1903

Their daughter, Margaret (“Peggy”) Hall (1903 to 1988) (HAL000113) who later married Christopher Chernocke Bullock, was born on 27 August 1903.

1911

1911 Census – Brampton, Newcastle under Lyme

Arthur John Hall, 42, timber merchant

Catherine Mira Hall, 44

Henry Hall, 13

Margaret Hall, 7

Carles John Stubbs, 42, was a visitor

Three servants

1914

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Colonel Arthur John Hall was officially appointed to command the newly formed 2/5th South Staffordshire Regiment when it was established as a second-line unit in late 1914 and he commanded the 2/5th Staffordshire Regiment in the Easter Rising in Ireland during the First World War. Colonel Hall was responsible for the initial recruitment, organisation, and training of these young Territorial Force soldiers. He oversaw their movements through early training camps in England, including stints at Harpenden, Luton, and St Albans.

When the 59th Division was unexpectedly mobilized and deployed to Dublin in April 1916 to quell the rebellion, Colonel Hall was technically the overall commanding officer of the 2/5th Battalion.

While Colonel Hall held the overarching administrative command of the unit, the fierce, localised tactical deployment into the North King Street area was spear-headed on the ground by Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Taylor. It was Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor who directed the grinding, 150-yard house-to-house advance against the rebel barricades. Consequently, historical accounts of the subsequent North King Street Massacre and the military inquiry that followed focus heavily on Taylor's immediate tactical leadership and the specific orders filtering through his field officers.

During the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, the 2/5th Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, alongside its sister second-line territorial battalion, the 2/6^th was thrust into heavy, close-quarters urban combat.

The 2/5th South Staffords was a "second line" Territorial Force unit formed in Walsall in September 1914. They were initially designated for home service and training in England (The Long, Long Trail). Initially the Regiment was intended to provide drafts for the 1/5th Battalion in France, but this role was later taken over by the 3/5th Battalion. The battalion formed part of 2nd Staffordshire Brigade in 2nd North Midland Division. These were later numbered 176th (2/1st Staffordshire) Brigade and 59th (2nd North Midland) Division respectively. Training was at Luton and later St Albans.

When the Easter Rising broke out in Dublin on Easter Monday on 24 April 1916, the battalion was rushed from its base in St Albans as part of the 176th Brigade of the 59th (2nd North Midland) Division. Many of these young, inexperienced soldiers initially believed they were embarking for France. Instead, they landed at Kingstown, now Dún Laoghaire, on 26 April 1916 to reinforce the British garrison suppressing the republican uprising. (Easter Rising, In the Dark).

The Staffordshire battalions were moved from Trinity College toward the Republican strongpoint at the Four Courts, commanded by republican leader Edward Ned Daly. Entering the North King Street area, the 2/5th and 2/6th Battalions encountered fierce, highly effective sniper and barricade fire from the Irish Volunteers. The Republicans used windows, roofs, and heavily fortified buildings to hold off the British advance. Faced with crippling frontal casualties, the troops used makeshift armoured trucks and adopted a tactic called mouse-holing, crowbarring and blasting through the inside walls of terraced homes to bypass the barricaded streets. By the time of the republican surrender on Saturday, 29 April, the Regiment had suffered 11 dead and 28 wounded, advancing a mere 150 yards down the street. (see Main Sites of Activity during the Easter Rising 1916; 1916 Easter Rising in The Irish War). The intense pressure and high casualties suffered during the house-to-house fighting led to a controversy referred to as the North King Street Massacre. A military court of inquiry and a subsequent coroner's inquest concluded in favour of the military, though the incident remained controversial and damaged public support in Ireland.

Following the suppression of the Easter Rising, the 2/5th Battalion was stationed at The Curragh camp in County Kildare for the remainder of 1916. Following the suppression of the Easter Rising, Colonel Hall remained with the battalion during its prolonged keeping of the peace at The Curragh camp in County Kildare through the remainder of 1916.

In January 1917, the Regiment returned to England to begin final battle training at Fovant, where there was a large purpose-built camp on the edge of the Salisbury Plain training area. They embarked for France on 17 February 1917. The 59th Division took part in following the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line in March and April 1917, but it was not until September that it was engaged in its first full scale action, the phase of the 3rd Ypres Offensive known as the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge. This was a carefully prepared assault with massive artillery preparation, and most of the objectives were taken easily. The next phase, the Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September 1917), fought mainly by Australian divisions, was equally successful, with 176th Brigade advancing steadily behind its barrage onto the final objectives. The 2/5th Battalion was eventually disbanded in France on 30 January 1918.

For his decades of military dedication and volunteer training, he was awarded the Territorial Decoration (TD).

1920

Arthur was a timber merchant (Henry Hall & Sons) outside his military career until he retired.

1921

1921 Census – Parkpilds House, Barlaston, Staffordshire

Arthur John Hall, 53, retired timber work, retired Colonel

Catherine Nora Hall, 54, born Penkridge, Staffordshire

Mary Catherine Hall, 26

Henry Hall, 24

Two servants

1927

Arthur was a keen sportsman.

We have a letter from Arthur in 1927 to Peggy Baker, his niece, congratulating her on her engagement and reporting on the season’s shooting:

Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire. Parkfields, Tittensor. Torhousemuir.

Arthur Hall

1934

Arthur Hall died on 21 October 1934. Hall Arthur John of Parkfields Tittensor Staffordshire died 21 October 1934 Probate London 13 December to Henry Hall of no occupation Margaret Bullock (wife of Christopher Chrnocke Bullock) and Roberyt Sydnenham Marshall solicitor. Effects £112952 18s 8d (Probate Record).