Hall

William Hall of Hantsport was awarded the Victoria Cross, the most revered medal in the British Empire. The Victoria Cross was created by Queen Victoria in 1856. Only the bravest of military men were to receive the medal provided that such men possessed European ancestry--the Empire maintained a rigid caste system that deemed those with European ancestry superior in every way to those lacking such a pedigree. To allow those without European ancestry to receive the Victoria Cross would shake the very foundations of the Empire. William Hall presented Queen Victoria with a problem. William seemed to lack European ancestry--both his parents had been slaves in America; yet, no one could deny the great courage and heroism the man displayed during an important imperial battle in northern India. Hall had played a crucial role in a battle that resulted in the rescue of 800 civilians, mostly women and children—civilians who faced certain death if rescue efforts had failed. The rescue caused a great sensation throughout the Empire—the rescuers became cultural icons and the rescue, itself, was memorialized in front page headlines, stage productions and best selling memoirs. Faced with heroism of the highest order, Queen Victoria re-wrote the rules and awarded the Victoria Cross to William Hall. As a result, William became the first recipient of the Victoria Cross with ancestral roots that were foreign to European soil.