Herbert Arthur Wall, Able Seaman, Royal Navy

His Royal Navy Records states he was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England on September 9, 1884. According to his son Charles, Herbert was an orphan and told him he never knew who his parents were.  ^[ii]   The 1891 Census for Wales lists Herbert Wall as a visitor with the George Hartland family and he is still living with the Hartland’s in 1901.  During this time he must have apprenticed as a shoemaker since his Naval Records state this as his occupation upon enlisting.

What is most interesting is that on his Royal Navy Records he states his year of birth as 9 Sept1884, however in subsequent records he states his year of birth is 1885.  That date he inlisted in the Royal Navy was also 9 Sept. 1902. It has been suggested that perhaps this allowed him to join the Navy one year before he was of age.  In addition, in subsequent records he states he was born in Bristol, Somerset and in Pontypridd and Cardiff, Wales. This may suggest that he did not know exactly where he was born or learned more as he grew older.

I have found a record for Herbert Arthur Wall, parents John Wall, a Carpenter and Charlotte Sexton his mother.  The registration of birth was made by Charlotte and states Herbert was born 15 Sept. 1885 in Cardiff, Wales.  Since Herbert lived in Wales with the Hartlands’, Cardiff seems to be the logical place where he was born.  When Edwin Wall, Herbert’s grandson had his Ancestry DNA completed there was a clear relationship between him and the Wall’s of Wedmore Somerset, England as well as the Binnings’ of the same area. This clearly suggests that  his father was likely John Wall (1845-1890), son of John Wall (1796-1891)  and Janetta Binning (1806-1868).

John Wall (1845-1890), the assumed father of Herbert, may have left home early because he doesn’t show up in the census records for the family, although his birth record is clear.   There is very little verifiable information about his life, until his death in 1890.  There are a number of John Walls who were servants in the homes of others between 1861 and 1881 who appear to be about the right age.  At this time I cannot find any evidence of a marriage between John Wall and Charlotte Sexton.  Perhaps the reason Herbert did know know his parentage was because he was born out of wedlock and at some point he went to live with the Hartland family.

There is nothing known of Herbert’s childhood, however, Herbert’s naval records indicate he was 18 years old (probably only 17) when he enlisted in 1902 and that prior to joining the navy he was a shoemaker.^[iii]  His record describes him as 5’5″, with blue eyes and a “fresh” complexion.  No distinguishing marks were recorded. Herbert served on a number of ships and navy cruisers over the years.

Based on his Naval records^[iv], Herbert received his basic training on the HMS Impregnable, the Royal Navy training ship located at Devonport.    Herbert served on many ships during his service, however, from July 1913 to February 1917 the major part of World War I, he served on the HMS EXMOUTH a fighting ship and part of the 6th Grand Fleet at the outbreak of the war. From April 1916 to February 1917 the EXMOUTH  was located in the  Mediterranean and South Africa.

His record indicates he transferred to the HMS Redbreast on February 10, 1917, an ” 805 ton fleet messenger.   The Exmouth’s log[vi] indicates that 12  ratings and 1 prisoner were transferred to the Redbreast on July 8, 1917. This appears consistent with Herbert’s service record.   The HMS Redbreast was torpedoed in the eastern Mediterranean on 15 July 1917.  REDBREAST, 15th July 1917, Mediterranean – sunk by German coastal minelayer “UC-38”. Q-ship “Redbreast” (naval fleet messenger, 1,300grt, 1908) was allocated to the Senior Naval Officer Malta for operations as a Special Service ship; her complement and casualties are not known.   Herbert’s naval record indicates he left the Redbreast on 21 July 1917.  Since this was a personnel and supply ship it is likely other ships were nearby to facilitate a rescue.

An alternative explanation lies in the term above “Q” ship.  Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them. The basic ethos of every Q-ship was to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Their codename referred to the vessels’ homeport, Queenstown in Ireland. These became known by the Germans as a U-Boot-Falle (“U-boat trap”). A Q-ship would appear to be an easy target, but in fact, carried hidden armaments. A typical Q-ship might resemble a tramp steamer sailing alone in an area where a U-boat was reported to be operating. By seeming to be a suitable target for the U-boat’s deck gun, a Q-ship might encourage the U-boat captain to make a surface attack rather than use one of his limited number of torpedoes. The Q-ships’ cargoes were light wood (balsa or cork) or wooden caskets, and even if torpedoed they would remain afloat, encouraging the U-boat to surface and sink them with a deck gun. The crew might even pretend to “abandon ship”. Once the U-boat was vulnerable, the Q-ship’s panels would drop to reveal the deck guns, which would immediately open fire. At the same time, the White Ensign the Royal Navy Flag would be raised. With the element of surprise, a U-boat could be quickly overwhelmed.

Individuals serving on these ships would be seen as merchant seaman which is a term Charles Wall, Herbert’s son used to describe the work his Father did in the Royal Navy.  So it is possible that when he was assigned to the Redbreast he was posing as a merchant seaman but was there to destroy U boats.  His service on the Redbreast was described in his Naval Record as “superior”.  Herbert’s son, Charles told his children that he was a Merchant Seaman during the war, which would also add to the explanation.

Marriage to Ethel Mary Pope

Herbert was 27 years old when he married Ethel M. Pope in St. Austell, Cornwall, England on March 14, 1911.^[viii]    Throughout the war Ethel lived in East Newlyn, Cornwall.  Herbert was away from the family for long stretches of time.  Ethel was used to the lonely life of a sailor’s wife.  The following dates are from his service record when he was assigned to Vivid or Vivid 1 which is basically an accounting base or nominal ship that one was assigned to when ashore. The Vivids’ indicated accounting bases at Devonport.   The record gives us a glimpse at how infrequently he was home with his family from the time of his marriage and that for the majority of the war he was at sea.  I am certain when they married that this was not how they imagined the years from 1913-1917 to work out.

•  Vivid = February 15 to March 17, 1911 —  note he was married on March 14, 1911,
• ­ Vivid I =February 22 to June 30, 1913 — this was just before he shipped out on the Exmouth on July 1, 1913, where he spent the majority of WWI.
• ­ Vivid I = July 22 to September 25, 1917- this followed the sinking of the Redbreast.
• ­ October 18, 1921, to February 9, 1924 – this followed his service on the HMS Tiger until September 26, 1917[ix],

Additionally, Herbert served on the Tiger from September 26, 1917 to October 17, 1921 when he likely spent additional time ashore during this period [x].

Herbert left the Navy and was pensioned in September 1924.  The family lived in Newquay with daughter Sylvia born in 1911, Ada in 1920, and Charles, my father-in-law,  born in 1923.   In 1926 the family left England and arrived in Halifax.  The family obtained land near Glassville, New Brunswick, through the Soldier’s settlement board. ^[xi]  He again took up the shoemakers trade in New Brunswick.  Charles^[xii], his son remembers him leaving Glassville on a bicycle to Saint John to buy leather for making shoes.

Herbert had served in the Great War in the Royal Navy and when the Second World War broke out on September 6, 1939, he joined the Canadian Navy and worked in the canteen in Saint John, NB according to Charles, his son.   In 1941 while still enlisted he died of cancer of the liver.  He is buried in a military cemetery in Halifax. ^[xiii]