Sidney Joseph Halse was born in Fulham, London, England in 1877. After working for a builder in 1892-93, he was articled to John Medland (1840?-1913) in London from 1893 to 1897. He then worked as an assistant to John Diblee Crace (1838-1919); to Philip Appleby Robson (1871-1951); to Edward Robert Robson (1835-1917); and to Charles Barry (1823-1900) from 1898 to 1900. He also attended the Royal Academy Schools and the Architectural Association Schools in London.
Halse qualified as an architect in 1901 and soon after emigrated to China. He settled in Shanghai and in 1907 formed an architectural partnership with fellow Briton Robert Moorhead, a civil engineer. Harold Graham Fector Robinson (c.1889-1966) later joined the practice which was renamed Moorhead Halse & Robinson.
Halse subsequently withdrew from the firm and worked independently in Shanghai. His address was given as "The Little House", 977 Connaught Road, Shanghai in 1939.
Halse was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) in 1901 and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1932. He died in Shanghai on 17 December 1946
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001