Born in East Hamlet, Shropshire on 1 November 1889,[1][2] Wall moved to London to work as a compositor,[3][4] and was a member of the British Socialist Party (BSP).
This affiliated to the Labour Party after World War I, and Wall was unexpectedly elected to Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council for Clapham North in 1918.
In this role, he frequently clashed with the local socialist preacher and pioneer druid George Watson Macgregor Reid.
[10] While holding this position, he spent much of his time promoting a trade union for actors, based on a closed shop principle.
[14] During World War II, he served on the National Arbitration Union,[15] and on Lord Swinton's Security Executive.