Full medal write up
DISTINGUISHED FLYING MEDAL, G.VI.R. ‘1591012. SGT. H. G. HALL. R.A.F.’
D.F.M. London Gazette 15 August 1944, the original recommendation states:
'This air gunner has completed 28 successful sorties, seven of which were on Berlin. He has always shown great keenness and enthusiasm for his job and his coolness and vigilance in the air has greatly assisted his captain in keeping out of trouble. His early sighting of enemy fighters enabled his captain many times to evade them before an attack could develop. A great deal of the success of his crew has been due to his untiring vigilance.'
Harold George Hall was born circa 1924 to Harold Hall and his wife of 15 North Road, Hull. Young Hall attended the Francis Askew School and was later employed by Louis Percy Ltd. on the Hull Billingsgate - also known as St. Andrew’s Dock. As a boy he was a member of the Air Defence Cadet Corps and later volunteered for the Royal Air Force, being accepted for air gunner training in March 1943.
On 25 October 1943 he was posted to 207 Squadron, a Lancaster equipped Squadron of 5 Group, Bomber Command. Hall’s first operation was a baptism of fire, being a raid on Berlin on 26 November 1943 and remarkably, of his next 9 sorties, 5 more were to Berlin, the balance to Leipzig, Frankfurt, Brunswick and an uncompleted sortie to Berlin!
Between 26 November 1943 and 29 April 1944, Hall would take part in 29 sorties, all bar 1 being marked successful. Posted to 14 OUT on 18 May 1944, he was recommended for the D.F.M. on the same date. It is unknown if he later returned to an operational unit. He died on 12 September 2004.
A contemporary newspaper article notes that 'his first tour of operations…included some of the most heavily defended targets'. This is confirmed in his original D.F.M. recommendation which lists his sorties. Of all the Lancaster squadrons in Bomber Command, 207 Squadron would suffer the 3 highest operational losses with 131 Lancasters lost. This number was only eclipsed by 460 Squadron with 140 losses and 44 Squadron with 149.
Condition GVF, mounted as worn. Sold with copied research, including, original D.F.M. recommendation, Hull Daily Mail article, 207 Squadron Operational Logs (digital) and original Central Chancery letter inviting Warrant Officer Hall to an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 24 July 1945, this with tape along central folds.