Pte 71211 Thomas Hall

• Age: 26
• From: Birkenhead, Cheshire
• Regiment: MGC (59 COY)
• Died on Tuesday 20th November 1917
• Commemorated at: Cambrai Memorial
  Panel Ref: Panel 12 & 13

Thomas was born at Birkenhead in 1891 the son of John and Jemima Hall (nee Sinclair). He was baptised at St Mary's Church, Birkenhead on 03rd May 1891. He had two brothers John and George and 3 sisters Lily, Jemima and Emily. 

The 1891 Census shows the family are living at 46 Craven Street, Birkenhead. His father is a 29 year old boatbuilder, whilst his mother is 22 years of age. New born, Thomas, is one month old.  

In the 1901 Census the family are living at Thornthwaite Road, Bowness on Windermere. His father, John, is a 37 year old boatbuilder, born in Birkenhead, his mother, Jemima, is a 32 year old born in Scotland. They have five children in the household; Thomas is aged 10, Lily is 8 and Jemima E. is 6 all of these children were born in Birkenhead, Emily J. is 4 and new born John S. is 9 months old.       

In 1911 the family are back in Birkenhead at 5 Tyrer Street, Bidston. His father, John, is now recorded as being 49 years old and is still a boatbuilder, his mother is recorded as being 41 years of age and was born in Edinburgh. They advise that they have been married for 21 years and have had 7 children, 6 of whom have survived. All six of their surviving children are in the household: Thomas is 20 years old and is a statistical clerk, Lily is 18 and a dressmaker, Jemima is 16 and a shop assistant, Emily is 14, John is 10 and is at school, and George is 7 and at school. George was born in Birkenhead.     

Thomas enlisted in the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 17846 at St George's Hall in Liverpool on 03/09/1914. He was aged 23 and was desribed as being 5ft 4 and a half inches tall and weighed 138lbs. He was employed as a clerk with a raw rubber merchant and his address was 1 Gautby Road, Birkenhead 

He served at home until 06/11/1915 and arrived in France on 07/11/1915. He was hospitalised with Myalgia from 15/04 -  29/4/1916. 

Thomas transferred to the Machine Gun Corps as Private 71211 on 05th December 1916.

He was wounded on 21st July 1917 by a Gun Shot Wound to his left shoulder. He returned to the UK for treatment before returning to France on 08th October 1917.

He was again wounded on 20th November 1917 and died of wounds the same day. 

His body was not recovered or was subsequently lost as his name is on the Cambrai Memorial in France.

The CAMBRAI MEMORIAL commemorates more than 7,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South Africa who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and whose graves are not known.

Sir Douglas Haig described the object of the Cambrai operations as the gaining of a 'local success by a sudden attack at a point where the enemy did not expect it' and to some extent they succeeded. The proposed method of assault was new, with no preliminary artillery bombardment. Instead, tanks would be used to break through the German wire, with the infantry following under the cover of smoke barrages.

The attack began early in the morning of 20 November 1917 and initial advances were remarkable. However, by 22 November, a halt was called for rest and reorganisation, allowing the Germans to reinforce. From 23 to 28 November, the fighting was concentrated almost entirely around Bourlon Wood and by 29 November, it was clear that the Germans were ready for a major counter attack. During the fierce fighting of the next five days, much of the ground gained in the initial days of the attack was lost.

For the Allies, the results of the battle were ultimately disappointing but valuable lessons were learnt about new strategies and tactical approaches to fighting. The Germans had also discovered that their fixed lines of defence, no matter how well prepared, were vulnerable.

The Cambrai Memorial was designed by Harold Chalton Bradshaw with sculpture by Charles S. Jagger. It was unveiled by Lieut-General Sir Louis Vaughan on 4 August 1930.

The memorial stands on a terrace at one end of LOUVERVAL MILITARY CEMETERY. The chateau at Louverval, was taken by the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion at dawn on 2 April 1917. The hamlet stayed in Allied hands until the 51st (Highland) Division was driven from it on 21 March 1918 during the great German advance, and it was retaken in the following September.

Parts of Rows B and C of the cemetery were made between April and December 1917 and in 1927, graves were brought in from Louverval Chateau Cemetery, which had been begun by German troops in March 1918 and used by Commonwealth forces in September and October 1918.

The cemetery now contains 124 First World War burials.

Grateful thanks are extended to Linda Woodfini Michelini for the biography of Thomas. 

We currently have no further information on Thomas Hall. If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.