Private Alexander Hall
11629 8th East Lancashire Regiment (Machine Gun Section)
Killed in Action 16th November 1916
on the Somme aged 20
Lived at 29 Ivory Street
Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial France
Commemorated on the Holy Trinity Memorial
Burnley Express 11th September 1915 - 16th December 1916 - 11th August 1917

Alexander appears to have lived with his grandparents Alexander and Elizabeth in Ivory St. He was killed during the November 1916 offensive on the Somme which proved to be as unsuccessful as the actions in July of the same year. His battalion sustained heavy losses when they found that the wire in front of the German trenches had not been cut. They were immediately subject to very heavy rifle and machine gun fire from their left flank near to Beaumont Hamel and Serre.

NOTHING HEARD FOR A MONTH
COMRADES FEARS (Burnley Express 16/12/1916)

Pte. Alexander Hall, 11629, of the East Lancashire Regiment, is officially reported missing after an engagement on November 16th. All the information his mother has received is from his “pal” Pte. W. Alcock, who writes to Mrs. Hall, at 3 Penistone-street, Burnley, as follows - “Dear Mrs. Hall, - So sorry to inform you that Alex is missing. We are not expecting him to be dead : but if you have heard nothing I think you may expect the worst for we have heard nothing of him since the 15th November.” Pte. Alcock says that Hall’s parcels has been shared amongst his pals.
Pte. Alexander Hall, who is 20 years of age is the only son of Mr. And Mrs. Hall. He enlisted on the 13th of August, 1914, being at that time a weaver at Simpson’s Whittlefield Shed. He attended St. Oswald’s mission. First he went to the Dardanelles in June 1915 and was wounded on August 9th. After being at Malta he was transferred to a hospital in Forfar, in Scotland, and was there four months. He afterwards went out in September last and was at the base a while , afterwards going into the firing line. He had been in the trenches just a month when he was reported missing.
His parents would be pleased to hear from anyone regarding his whereabouts.
Hall’s three uncles are serving with the army, one being at Salonika and two in Egypt., whilst he has one cousin in the Flying Corps and another in the R.A.M.C.