Minister in Sutton and Kirkby Circuit
One of the other Ministers in the Sutton and Kirkby District when Rev George Kendall was there was the Rev Alfred William Hall.
Speaker at Bourne Chapel
As the Minister based at Bourne Chapel, Rev Hall spoke there frequently. Dates noted by mum included 1 September and 29 September 1946.
He also spoke at the Bourne Youth Club and Methodist Guild including on 17 July 1947, 27 November 1947, 22 January 1948, 26 February 1948 and on 27 May 1948. On one occasion, he spoke about John Wesley and, on two other occasions, mum described his talk as devotional.
Visiting Mum When She Was Ill
In December 1948, mum was admitted to Mansfield General Hosiptal in order for an abscess to be drained, see Chapter 37. She was discharged from hospital on Christmas Eve. Rev Hall was one of a number of people who visited her at home on 6 January 1949.
Farewell Service
Mum noted that a farewell service was held for Rev Hall on 28 August 1950 and that he was replaced by Rev Peter Robinson.
Speaker at Chapel Anniversary in 1955
Mum noted that Rev Hall came back to be the speaker at the chapel anniversary on 2 April 1955.
Mentioned by Edith Searson
Edith Searson, an active member of Bourne Chapel, wrote two memoirs entitled “I Remember” and “I Also Remember“. In the former, she listed a number of Methodist Ministers she had known including Rev Alfred W Hall.
Barrie Smith’s Books
J Barrie Smith was a Methodist local preacher and historian. He died in August 2024 aged 93. I was privileged to be able to attend his thanksgiving service. Two of his books list Ministers in the Sutton and Kirkby circuit. These are “Strangely Warmed in Ashfield” and “Noah’s Ark – A Century Before and After“. Both refer to Rev Alfred W Hall.
Rev Hall’s Ministry
This information is taken from W Leary’s “Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits”. He was born in Clapton Gloucestershire in 1889 and he died on 28 August 1962. He entered the Primitive Methodist ministry in 1915 after training at Hartley college. Circuits he served included Pocklington (1915), Stanley (1919), Patrington (1920), Wells (1924), Wisbech (1927), Wellingborough (1930), E Suffolk (1933), Skegness (1936), Brigg (1041), Talke (1950), Malton (1953) and Withernsea (1955). He served as a chaplain to HM Forces from 1916 to 1919.
A detailed obituary is available on the My Primitive Methodists website. This notes that, during the first world war, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Greece and Palestine. The obituary notes “always a lover of good books, he read widely in both general and theological subjects, not only in his active ministry, but also in his years of retirement. His preaching was marked by sincerity, thoughtfulness, and felicity of expression. He was a true pastor to his people, sharing in their concerns, and ever ready to give encouragement, comfort or advice, as need arose. Nor were his interests limited to local affairs; to Overseas Missions, for example, and to the cause of refugees, he gave generous support. He enjoyed gardening, and was particularly fond of flowers. He retired to Withernsea in 1955, and continued to preach until a month before his death. He died on 28 August 1962, in the seventy-third year of his age and the forty-seventh of his ministry.“
He married twice – Gertrude Barron in 1920 and Ida Hall in 1954, following Gertrude’s death the previous year.
Military Service During World War 1
According to his service records, Alfred William Hall served as a private in the Royal Army Medical Corps from 28 January 1916 to 30 September 1919, when he was transferred to the reserve. His service number was 81872. He had enlisted in Rhyl and his medical category was A1.
Disability and Pension
It appears that he was awarded some form of war pension from 1 October 1919 because of poor health due to malaria. The pension was set to expire at the end of March 1920. His permanent address was given as 1 Craven Road, Newbury, Berkshire. The statement as to disability noted that he had served in Salonica for 12 months and in Palestine and Egypt for one year ten months. His level of disability was assessed as less than 20 per cent. The cause of his disability was said to be climatic conditions and malaria which had started on 28 May 1919. In the section for where he was treated for malaria, it seems to say the RAMC Detention (or Infection) Hospital in Blackpool.
Malaria
There is quite a detailed description of the basis for the diagnosis of malaria saying “has never been definitively diagnosed. Had an attack of fever with rigor followed by sweat in May 1919. When admitted to hosp was diagnosed influenza. Since then has had two relapses.“. His current status was described as quiescent. His last relapse was in Blackpool in July 1919. It was said to have had all the clinical features of an attack of malaria. He complained of shortness of breath on exertion but there was nil of note on examination of his heart.
Summary of Service
In terms of his active service, he was described as a Minister of Religion and Primitive Methodist clergyman. He was said to be ineligible for transfer. He embarked from Southampton on 10 September 1916 and travelled on the HS “Essequibo” with “MLL” Rfts ariving in Salonika on 21 September 1916. It seems that Rfts refers to reinforcements but I am not sure what “MLL” refers to and it seems I am not the only one! On 9 September 1917, he embarked from Salonika and travelled on HM Dragon arriving in Alexandria on 12 September 1917. On 28 May 1919, he embarked from Port Said to travel to the UK via Marseilles. Based on his service, he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
More Family History
Alfred’s parents were called Albert and Ruth. He was a carpenter and her maiden name was Rogers. They married in 1886. In the 1891 census, Ruth and Alfred were staying with the Rogers’ family in Ablington, Bilbury. In 1901 and 1911, Albert, Ruth and Alfred were in Reading and Newbury respectively. Alfred’s siblings were Herbert Wilfred (b1894), Cecilia Doris (b1898) and Jesse Edward (b1904). Alfred married Gertrude Baron in 1920. In 1921, they were living in Patrington and, in 1939, in Skegness.
Photographs?
While I do not have any photos explicilty of Rev Hall, there are two photographs in Chapter 38 which show a Methodist Minister with my mother on the Whit Walk in 1947. While this could be Rev George Kendall, it is perhaps more likely to be Rev Alfred W Hall. .
