Hall earned his place in the history books in 1857 for his courage under fire at Lucknow, India, becoming the first black man to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the British Empire’s highest award for bravery. An able seaman in the Royal Navy, he was the first Nova Scotian and first member of the navy to receive the honour.
It was reported last week that Veterans Affairs Canada would work “to explore new and innovative ways to enhance the Valiants Memorial and the National War Memorial site to recognize Canadians of diverse backgrounds, such as Wil-liam Hall and others.”
That Hall deserves a place among the nine busts and five statues of key military figures of pre-Confederation Canada through to the Second World War is long overdue, say people familiar with the story of the man who grew up in Kings County, not far from Hantsport.
“There’s absolutely no reason this can’t happen,” said NDP MP Peter Stoffer, pointing to a unanimous recommendation in 2011 by the House of Commons Veterans Affairs Committee that erecting a bust would be a fitting tribute, not only to Hall but to the military contributions of all African-Canadians.