CAPTAIN NORMAN HALL
5th BATTALION LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS
HOMEPAGE DROPDOWN MENU
(USE MENU BAR OR MENU ICON ABOVE TO NAVIGATE BETWEEN PAGES)
​
​
​
​
​
​
Captain Norman Hall in 1916
Extracts from the London Gazette for 14 October 1914, 7 January 1915, and 7 July 1916
Background
Norman Hall was born on 28 February 1892 to a Bury wool merchant, George, and his wife, Sarah. He was educated at Bury Grammar School, and studied chemistry at Manchester University (Owens College), graduating in 1913. He was an active member of the Officers’ Training Corps (OTC) at both school and University.
Aged 22, he was working in the Chemical Engineering laboratory at Lever Brothers in Port Sunlight on the outbreak of war, engaged on the determination of glycerin values. Glycerin is an intermediate product in the manufacture of explosives, so he probably could have remained in Britain working as a chemist throughout the war had he chosen to do so, but, like many of his school and University contemporaries, especially those who had been in the OTC, he felt impelled to volunteer to join the Army. The process of enlisting proved to be not entirely straightforward for him, as a result of which he initially enrolled as a private with a Liverpool Regiment, before being gazetted as Temporary 2nd Lieutenant in the 5th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers, Territorial Force, on 14 October 1914.
There followed a period of training. Then, having volunteered to serve abroad from the outset (though at the beginning of the war Territorial men were not obliged to do so), on 3 May 1915 he crossed to France as Signals Officer with the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers. At the time of his appointment as Signals Officer his knowledge of signalling was very basic, being limited to what he had picked up in the OTC, but he learned swiftly, no doubt mostly from the sergeants in his section, Sergeant Collins and Sergeant Hindle, who, luckily, were both experienced and competent signallers. Subsequently he became 2nd in Command of a Company, and later still Officer Commanding a Company. From time to time he served in other temporary roles, notably Quartermaster and Adjutant. He was appointed Temporary Captain with effect from 8 May 1916, and finished the war as a substantive Captain. His promotion and the various roles to which he was appointed are summarised in the Time Line of his war service.
He had many narrow escapes while serving on the Western Front, some closer than others, and was seriously wounded on 9 September 1916 at Ginchy when leading his men “over the top” in an attempt to capture Guillemont. He was repatriated and recovered, returning to the Western Front in June 1917, this time to join the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers, serving with them in both France and Belgium.
His war effectively ended on 29 July 1918 when he broke his ankle in a riding accident while on his way to collect beer for the men’s Minden Day celebrations (Minden Day on 1 August being a special day for the Lancashire Fusiliers). He was again repatriated, and, before he had recovered sufficiently to return to the front, the war had ended. While convalescing in Blackpool, he was able, at 11.00am on 11 November 1918, to announce news of the Armistice to the assembled company in Blackpool’s Savoy Café.
He wrote a diary covering the whole of his experiences in the Great War, which is now in the Imperial War Museum in London for safe-keeping. It can be accessed by researchers by appointment through the Imperial War Museum’s website https://www.iwm.org.uk/.
The sources for the diary will have included contemporaneous pocket diaries, letters home, and Regimental records, and Norman incorporated into it a great many illustrations - photographs, maps, drawings etc.
One of Norman’s grandchildren has produced an edited version of the diary, a 344 page paperback (including a 20 page index) entitled A Lancashire Fusilier’s First World War, which can be purchased for £15.00 plus postage and packing. The book has been produced with the intention that:
-
The Fusilier Museum in Bury https://www.fusiliermuseum.com/ may sell copies in their shop for their own benefit; and
-
The net proceeds of sale of any books sold through other outlets will be donated to charity, primarily (given the content of the book) a serviceman's charity; alternatively, any person or organisation purchasing 5 or more copies of the book by one of the routes shown in the footer to this page can nominate the registered charity that they would like to benefit from their purchase (£9.00 per book will go to charity for books purchased at full price by one of the routes shown in the footer).
Norman's grandchildren believe that their grandfather would have very much approved of his words being used to benefit others in this way.
Joining up –
September/October 1914
Towards the end of August 1914 Norman tried to get a recommendation for an officer’s commission through the OTC, but was rejected on chest measurement at the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) headquarters in Manchester. Then, on 3 September 1914, after most of his friends had already managed to join up (some as officers, some as privates, some in the cavalry, some in the infantry), he went to St George’s Hall in Liverpool, and enlisted as a private with the Liverpool “Pals” (19th (Service) 3rd City Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment).
He describes his experience at the recruiting office thus:
​
There I found a line of fellows waiting with similar intentions to my own. We were given several forms to fill in. Then we were told to strip for medical inspection. Being the first time I had been medically inspected in public, I felt somewhat embarrassed; however, it had to be done – so now for it.
A Sergeant took me in hand first. He took my chest measurement. “Eh lad th’yll have to do better than that. Take a deep breath. Eh, go on, deeper” – eventually by not holding the tape too tight across the back I only just reached the required standard. This measurement was duly recorded on one of the Army Forms. Then I had to be weighed. The Sergeant seemed very struck with my slimness – of course I never was really fat! On the scales I jumped, and turned it at 7 stone 11 pounds, to the amusement of the Sergeant who said, “Eh, mon, you’ll never make a soldier with that weight. Are you a jockey? Anyway, we’ll soon make a man of you in the Army.” Then I had my eyes tested, my lungs, and several other odd tricks. The final decision was alright – “Are you keen?” - to which I replied “Yes – what do you think I came here for if I wasn’t?”
We then dressed – and returned to be sworn in.
I was given a form describing my general appearance etc. and out I went – a Soldier – feeling as proud as punch and inches taller.
​
Shortly after commencing his training with the Liverpool “Pals”, he managed to get a recommendation for a commission in the newly-to-be-formed 5th Reserve Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers in Bury, and transferred across to them on 14 October 1914, on his name appearing in the London Gazette as a 2nd Lieutenant in that unit.
Training
After a brief period of training with the Liverpool “Pals” (where he was picked out as Corporal of his section), Norman continued his training with the 5th Reserve Battalion in Bury, mainly at the Drill Hall. For a short time he was put in charge of a detachment at nearby Radcliffe, to save the men from Radcliffe having to travel to Bury each day. Then on 8 November 1914 he moved down to Southport for further training, still with the 5th Reserve Battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel John Hall (no relation).
Part of his account of the training is as follows:
​
Colonel Hall used to get very annoyed with the admiring ladies who would crowd on to the Parade Ground. One day he got very annoyed and cursed the crowd, and then was so upset he made the officers repeat their salute before dismissing.
Gradually we got the old red uniforms over from Bury – half the men being in khaki and half in red – with a few still in mufti.
We had very few rifles, about 100.
​
On 11 January 1915 Norman was sent back to Bury to help with the continued recruitment and training there, while in Southport the newly-formed 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers were scheduled to depart from Southport for Bedford en route for France on 18 April 1915. At first Norman believed that he would be left behind in Britain, and was disgruntled at the prospect, but at the last moment Lieutenant Colonel John Hall decided to appoint him as his Signals Officer (despite the fact that his only knowledge of signals was what he could remember from his OTC days) so on 18 April 1915 he arrived in Bedford to join the rest of the 2/5th Battalion who had travelled down on the same day from Southport. This is how he describes what happened on his arrival:
​
I must describe my first meeting with Colonel Hall at Bedford. His first remark was: “Do you know why you’ve come?”
“Yes, Sir, I was wired for and ordered to proceed to Bedford urgent.”
“Well my boy – we wanted a Signalling Officer so I wired for you. I don’t know anything about it. We may be off any day – You’ve got to run the show yourself. Here’s a book of equipment. Now get to work.”
So I did.
​
As mentioned above, he went with the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers to France on 3 May 1915, and was then on the Western Front continuously apart from two periods of home leave until he was wounded at Ginchy in September 1916. As also mentioned above, after the war he wrote a diary detailing both his experiences with the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers, and also his subsequent service with the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers in France and Belgium, after he had recovered from his wounds. More details of his War Service can be found in his Time Line.
The Diary
Norman started writing a record of his experiences in 1919 sometime before the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 19 July 1919. The final section, an account of the return of the Cadre of the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers to Bury on 11 April 1919, and a nominal roll of officers, NCOs, and men serving with the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers at the date of the Armistice who proceeded overseas in 1914, was completed on 30th March 1928.
The account is in manuscript throughout with a few obvious subsequent amendments, additions, and marginal comments, and also some added geographical headings and underlining etc. to highlight particular points.
In amongst the intricate detail of troop movements and other technical military information (such as the layout of field telephone networks and trenches, signalling procedures, attempts to listen in to German telephones, the demonstration of a new weapon for destroying barbed wire, and a plan for a “top secret” chemical gas scheme) the daily routine in the trenches and other locations is vividly described. There are many reflective anecdotes and digressions, e.g. about French citizens and farms, dugout life, treatment of wet feet, bathing routines, management of the Company including censorship of letters, rat catching, the Battalion dog called John Minden, a brief stay at the seaside at Cayeux-sur-Mer where he met a French family, whom he visited again when he was allowed a week's leave in Paris – he especially mentions one of the girls of about his age, Simone. All this, and more, can be found in the published paperback version of the diary.
The original account is contained in five hard-backed notebooks. Four are exercise books ranging from half an inch to one and a half inches thick; while the fifth is a thick ledger. These notebooks are in the Imperial War Museum in London. The contents of the individual volumes are as follows:
​
Part I: 9 September 1914 – 30 July 1915
This Part begins with Norman’s view of the historical perspective to the outbreak of War. He summarises the formation of the army, the recruitment process, and the British character, and analyses his reasons for enlisting. This volume tracks his training and the early stages of his deployment in France.
​
Part II: 30 July 1915 – 7 March 1916
This Part covers the early part of Norman’s service in the trenches in France, to include patrols/skirmishes in No Man’s Land, and two periods of leave in England.
​
Part III: 8 March 1916 – 14 September 1916
This Part covers further time in the trenches, action on the Somme in August 1916, a short rest out of the front line, then a return to the Somme area for an attack on Guillemont in which Norman was wounded (9 September 1916).
Part IV: 15 September 1916 – 28 March 1918
This Part begins with Norman’s recuperation in hospital and at home, a period of Home Service in Ripon and Scarborough, then his return to France in June 1917, to include a short period in the Ypres Salient between September and November 1917, and the beginning of the German Spring Offensive of 1918.
Part V: 28 March 1918 – 19 January 1919
This Part continues to cover the German Spring Offensive of 1918, a period when Norman was out of action with Trench Fever, the riding accident on 29 July 1918 which caused him to be repatriated once again; recovery in Bristol and Blackpool, the Armistice; a short period of Home Service in Withernsea, Yorkshire, and demobilisation on 19 January 1919. It also includes an account of the Victory Parade in London on 19 July 1919, the unveiling of a Memorial to the 55th Division at Givenchy on 15 May 1921 (at both of which Norman was present), an account of what happened to the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers after Norman left them at the end of July 1918, an account of the return on the Cadre to Bury on 11 April 1919, and a miscellaneous collection of items relating to the First World War, such as a set of cigarette cards featuring various different Regiments, and a number of Christmas cards, newspaper/magazine articles and pictures etc.
The pages in each volume are numbered and right at the beginning there is a (geographical) index for Volume I – space was left for indexes for the other volumes but these were never inserted.
Sources
The sources used by Norman to compile the record appear to have been mainly the following (in addition, of course, to his own personal recollection):
-
His letters home – 167 are referenced in the text in chronological order until he was wounded in September 1916, two of the letters being pasted into the diary.
-
Slides taken on a Vest Pocket Kodak camera (VPK), which are referred to in the text, though it seems not to be the case that prints of all these photographs are included in the diary, and it is not known what happened to the negatives.
-
Three pocket diaries which one assumes were written by Norman contemporaneously whilst he was on active service. They cover the period when he returned to service after recovering from his wounds in May 1917 until he was injured in August 1918. One relates to the period from May to December 1917, the other two relate to 1918, one fairly detailed up to August 1918 plus some entries for November 1918, and the other a few pencil notes for April 1918, and fuller entries for July 1918. There is some overlap/repetition between the entries in the two 1918 diaries. The narrative entries in the pocket diaries seem to be closely followed in the fuller entries in the diary completed by Norman later, with some clarification and expansion. He may also have had pocket diaries for the earlier period which have not survived. The pocket diaries also include sundry other information such as leave rosters, registers of letters received and sent, financial entries, a list of officers and their fates etc.
-
On page 21 of Volume 2 (12 August 1915) Norman refers to starting a stick with the names of places in code. The stick is no longer extant, but throughout the account he is very precise as to place names and geographical details.
-
Maps of France and Belgium – including some detailed trench maps.
-
Military reference books, some of which are specifically referred to in the diary, such as Ian Hay’s First Hundred Thousand, and My Memories of the War 1914-1918 by Ludendorff.
-
Regimental Records – Norman refers specifically to the Lancashire Fusiliers’ Annual.
Illustrations
The account is interspersed with
-
Photographs, including photographs of individuals, towns and villages, and the terrain
-
Postcards
-
Sketch plans of trenches, hand-drawn in colour, showing dimensions and other details
-
More formal maps, including official trench maps
-
Four of Captain Bruce Bairnsfather’s cartoons from Fragments from France
-
Newspaper cuttings, including obituaries of some of Norman’s comrades
-
At least two sets of official orders
-
A handwritten note of the interrogation of a German prisoner
-
Two of Norman’s letters home, and several other letters
-
Diagrams of weapons and other equipment
-
Army Forms such as a travel warrant on enlistment, Norman’s demobilisation papers, notification of his admission to hospital etc.
Many of these are reproduced in the published version of the diary, A Lancashire Fusilier’s First World War.
.
