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William Hall
(1829-1904)
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William Hall joined the Royal Navy when he was just 12 years old. He was a sailor for 26 years and in 1857 became the first Canadian sailor and also the first African Canadian to win the Victoria Cross, for bravery in war. It is the highest military honour in the British Commonwealth.
Born in 1826 at Horton Bluff, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Hall was the son of slaves freed when the ship carrying them was captured and released in Halifax. He served on the HMS Victory and was given medals for actions in the Battle of Inkerman during the Crimean War in 1853 and also at the siege of Sebastopol. He won the Victoria Cross fighting in India where rebels in the Indian Army were attempting to break away from British rule.
In 1857 while serving on board the HMS Shannon he volunteered to accompany a naval gun brigade to Lucknow during the "Indian Mutiny." The sailors dragged the ships guns over rough countryside until they finally reached their destination. In the heat battle and under heavy gunfire most of the other gun crew members were either killed or badly injured. Hall with the assistance of an injured officer kept the cannon firing until the bombardment breached the wall allowing loyal forces to enter and join the defenders.
