Heritage Day to honour African-Nova Scotian war hero William Hall

Heritage Day this year will honour African-Nova Scotian war hero William Hall.

Heritage Day this year will commemorate the life of African-Nova Scotian war hero William Hall.

Launched in 2015, Heritage Day is an annual statutory holiday that honours people and places that have contributed to Nova Scotia’s history. This year, it falls on Monday, Feb. 19.

William Hall was a member of the Royal Navy and served in the Crimean War and the First War of Indian Independence. He was born in 1827 to African-Americans who settled in Nova Scotia after fleeing enslavement in Maryland during the War of 1812. 

Hall retired from the Royal Navy in 1876, having been awarded the Victoria Cross, the British Empire’s highest awared for bravery. He died in 1904. A memorial was built in Hantsport, Hants County, in 1947 to honour his life.