Son of George and Elizabeth Hall, the youngest of their six children. John's parents died before the onset of war and their gravestone is in Victoria Road Cemetery.
George probably enlisted before 1911 and the Mercury has references to a son of George Hall being in the 18th Q.M.O Hussars in 1913. As well as this a Corporal Hall is reported as being promoted to full Sergeant in the D.L.I in 1915 and wounded later that year.