Frederick Charles Hall

Driver - Service No.2315 and later, Lance Bombardier - Service No.875925 - Royal Field Artillery

Frederick Charles Hall was born on 15th June 1896 in Swardeston, Norfolk, the son of Charles Brighten Hall and his wife Anna Eliza (Chapman). He was one of six children born to Charles and Anna following their marriage on 9th November 1880 at Swardeston. Their first son was born in August 1881 and named after his father but, tragically, lived only two months and was buried, at Swardeston, on 13th October. On their 1911 census return the couple claimed to have been married 28 years and had 6 children of whom 2 had already died. In fact they had been married over 30 years and records have only been found, so far, for 5 children although there is a very large gap between Charles, their first child as already mentioned and their second known child, Jane Letitia, born 6th July 1890 some nine years later so it does seem likely that their second child, born somewhere in this 1881-1890 period simply died before the 1891 census and, possibly, not in Swardeston. The search continues. After Jane Letitia, apparently called Jenny, came Fred and he was followed by Henry James on 15th October 1898 and finally Alma Ellen at the beginning of 1900. Charles was a farmer and the family lived at Ivy Farm (now Ivy House) overlooking the common where Charles exercised his allocated grazing rights on the common as well as on his own pasture. Charles died in 1931.

Frederick was educated at the village school in Swardeston and, on leaving, took an apprenticeship with a building contractor, eventually becoming a carpenter. On 6th July 1915 he completed his attestation for four years service in the Territorial Force as a driver with the 1st East Anglian Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery. His army Service Records and Medal Rolls have survived so the basics of Frederick's wartime activities are documented.

After training Frederick left Southampton on 15th November 1915 bound for Le Havre with the British Expeditionary Force, arriving the following day. On 4th February 1916 he left France via Marseilles with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force bound for Egypt, arriving in Alexandria on the 11th February. On 31st July 1916 he received a field promotion to unpaid lance/bombardier and on 1st April 1918 finally was awarded the pay grade to match his lance bombardier rank. In all Frederick spent 3 years and 15 days in Egypt before leaving from Port Said on 17th February 1919. The journey home, via Alexandria, took 17 days and he finally arrived back in England on 6th March. Apart from a couple of spells of hospitalisation while in Egypt Frederick came through the war physically unscathed. On 3rd April 1919 Frederick was disembodied and returned to Swardeston finally being discharged from the army on 31st March 1920. Frederick was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service with the Royal Field Artillery.

In 1927 Frederick Hall married Audrey Alice Bocking, from Norwich, the daughter of Thomas William Bocking and his wife Martha (Eagle). Frederick and Audrey settled in Swardeston where they had four children, Holly (1928), Maureen (1929), Rodney (1935) and Myrtle (1937). In 1931, when his father died, Frederick and his family moved into Ivy Farm where he remained until his death on 3rd October 1963. His widow Audrey died on 1st August 1971. There are still several residents in the village who remember Fred delivering his own milk around the village and beyond with his churn and measure.

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