Regimental Number: 2115371
Rank: Private
Branch: Canadian Army Service Corps; 50th Battalion
Bill was born on December 18, 1892 in London, England to Eileen Hall. While in England, he served with the English Territorial Force. In 1913, he decided to immigrate to Canada and landed in Nova Scotia where he visited his aunt before travelling to Saskatchewan to work for farmers at harvest time. Stories of the Peace Country beckoned him and once he arrived he worked as a ranger.
Bill enlisted in the Canadian Army Service Corps on June 1, 1917 with the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in Edmonton and listed his occupation as a motor driver. He arrived in England on August 22, 1917 aboard the SS Grampian. On August 12, 1918 he received a shrapnel/shell wound to his right arm in the field in France and was hospitalized. Once he was declared fit-for-duty, he joined his unit. Bill was discharged on demobilization on June 18, 1919 and authorized to wear the “wounded stripe”. Private William Hall served in Canada, England and France with the 50th Battalion, Canadian Infantry Corps and received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Once Bill arrived in Edmonton, he decided to stay for awhile. In January 1927, he filed a homestead application on SW 32-71-2-W6 in the Bezanson area for which he received the patent on the property in 1942. He had applied for SE 19-71-2-W6 through the Soldiers’ Settlement; however, the application was cancelled. It did state that he was in the Military while proving up. Bill especially liked to hunt and trap and had a shack in the Goodwin area for that purpose. At one time, he had a partner by the name of Tommy Dixon who had a homestead near him. Bill was an excellent cook and was well-known for his “hot cakes”. He harvested logs near the Bezanson Townsite and built a new house on his homestead. One of his neighbors, Mrs. Nelson, often kept house for him. Bill passed away suddenly on June 21, 1952 and was buried in the Glen Leslie Cemetery.
Contributed by Wanda Zenner
Sources: Smoky River to Grande Prairie p. 12; see HT July 10, 1952