Kenneth Edward Hall – Légion d’Honneur

Sergeant Kenneth Edward Hall 

43rd Reconnaissance Regiment 

Ship: Derrycunihy 

From Evening World Newspaper dated Wednesday, May 2, 1945…

Squadron’s control operator, L/Cpl K E Hall of 9 Calcott Road, Knowle, Bristol told Stewart that his narrowest shave since leaving England was when the transport which carried them to Normandy was mined.

“We were all asleep at the time,” he said, “when our ship hit a mine about three miles away from the beaches. I was thrown out of my hammock into the air and then fell back onto it, luckily enough. I jumped overboard through a hole in the side of the ship and swam about till I was picked up.”

“We lost many good friends in A squadron in that incident – some of them are still in hospital yet.”

L/Cpl Hall, eldest son of Mr and Mrs E C Hall is 21. On leaving Cotham Secondary School he was employed by Georges Breweries before joining the Army in 1943. He was a keen member of Brislington Boys’ Club, too. He went overseas with the 43rd Recce Reg’t just after D-day.

Excerpt from Ken’s diary…

“24th June 1944, Shortly after 7:00am, the ships engines were started, and this was followed by an explosion which split the ship in two. The stern portion sank rapidly, and within seconds my hold no. 4 remained above water, the explosion woke me up, I was thrown into the air above my hammock, there was a ledge of steel, I was able to work my way to where the hull had split and dived into the sea, I swam as hard as I could, many of my close friends died alongside me and perished in the sea.”