William Hall (1825-1904) was one of Nova Scotia's most famous black citizens. A son of Virginia slaves who came to Nova Scotia as Black Refugees in 1815, he joined the Royal Navy as a cabin boy and became a Chief Petty Officer. He saw war service during the Crimean War and was sent to India at the time of the mutiny. In 1857 he was in charge of a gun crew during the siege of Lucknow. When most of the gun crew was killed, Hall and one officer continued to fire their cannon and were able to break the city walls. For his bravery, he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry that can be won by a British subject. He was the first black man and the first Nova Scotian to win this award. He later retired to a farm near Avonport, Nova Scotia, where he died in 1904.
