Who was the first Black man to receive the Victoria Cross?

Discover Canada records this in one direct sentence. The guide writes: Able Seaman William Hall of Horton, Nova Scotia, whose parents were American slaves, was the first black man to be awarded the V.C. for his role in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The recipient the test wants is therefore William Hall.

Hall's family history is part of his story. Discover Canada notes that Hall's parents "were American slaves," meaning he was the son of refugees from American slavery who had reached freedom in Nova Scotia. So Canada's first Black V.C. recipient came from a family at the heart of the Black-Loyalist and refugee diaspora that helped settle the Maritimes — a family with no political or military privileges, whose son rose to receive Britain's highest military honour.

The action itself took place in India. Discover Canada places Hall's V.C. action "in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857." So the V.C. was earned at a battle thousands of miles from Hall's Nova Scotia birthplace, while he was serving with British naval forces. Lucknow was one of the major battles of the 1857 Rebellion.

Hall fits the broader Canadian V.C. pattern. Discover Canada writes: "The V.C. has been awarded to 96 Canadians since 1854." Hall is one of those 96, named alongside Lieutenant Alexander Roberts Dunn (the first Canadian V.C. recipient, for the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854), Brigadier Paul Triquet, V.C., and Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray (the most recent Canadian V.C. recipient, killed in 1945). Each represents a different chapter of Canadian military service — and Hall represents the country's first Black recipient.

The question is testing whether new citizens know the first Black man to receive the Victoria Cross. Discover Canada commits to one name: William Hall. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each pick a different V.C. recipient. Lieutenant Alexander Roberts Dunn was the first Canadian V.C. recipient (1854) but is not described as the first Black recipient. Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray was the most recent Canadian V.C. recipient (1945). Paul Triquet is another V.C. recipient. Only William Hall — from Horton, Nova Scotia, son of American slaves — is named as the first Black V.C. recipient.