William Hall V.C. Memorial

The William Hall V.C. Memorial was constructed in 1947 in memory of William Hall who was Canada's first winner of the Victoria Cross.

The inscription on the memorial reads as follows:
William Hall V.C. the first Nova Scotian, and the First Man of colour to win the Empire's highest award for valour."
Born at Horton, Nova Scotia April 28th, 1821. Died at Avonport Nova Scotia August 27th, 1904. On November 16th, 1857, when serving in H.M.S. Shannon, Hall was part of a crew under command of a Lieutenant which placed a 24 pounder gun near the angle of the Shah Nujjiff at Lucknow, when all but the Lieutenant and Hall were either killed or wounded. Hall with utter disregard for life kept loading and firing the gun until the wall had been breached and the relief of Lucknow had been assured. His great pride was his British Heritage. Above the plaque, there is a replica of a Victoria Cross cast in bronze.
The construction of the memorial was intrusted to Embert Alexander Gollan, a stone mason, and long time resident of Hantsport. His assistant was Robert Plusifer, a Hantsport boy recently discharged from the Army. The builder left his mark on the right hand corner of the lower base.
In 1967 another plaque was placed on the memorial. It reads as follows: "This cairn marks the last resting place of William Hall V.C.".
The members of the Lucknow 109 have faithfully placed a wreath each year on November 11th.
The memorial has been maintained by the town of Hantsport, and is in excellent condition. The last major refit was in the summer of 1994, as a Hantsport centennial project.

The following a picture of the back of the Victoria Cross given to William Hall. The photo was taken at the Nova Scotia Museum in Halifax.