The Airmen's Stories - P/O R M D Hall

Roger Montagu Dickenson Hall was born on 12th August 1917 and attended Haileybury College from 1931 to 1935. He entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1936 as an Officer Cadet.

Hall was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment on 27th January 1938. Soon afterwards he became ill and did not rejoin his regiment until the end of the year.

In March 1940 Hall applied to transfer to the RAF. This was approved and he was posted to 7 EFTS Desford for his initial training. He completed his training at 8 FTS Montrose on No. 19 Course, which ran from 6th May to 12th August 1940.

He then went to No. 1 School of Army Co-operation at Old Sarum on No. 14 Course. The course did not finish until 7th September but Hall, who had volunteered to serve in Fighter Command, left Old Sarum and arrived at 7 OTU Hawarden on 22nd August.

After converting to Spitfires he joined 152 Squadron at Warmwell on 2nd September. On the 27th Hall damaged a Me110 and on 7th October he damaged a He111.

On 15th December 1940 he was posted away to join 255 Squadron, recently reformed at Kirton-in-Lindsey with Defiants. He destroyed a He111 over the Humber on 10th February 1941, 255 Squadron's first victory.

In September Hall joined 72 Squadron at Gravesend as a Flight Commander. He was posted away in December.

In April 1942 he went to 91 Squadron at Hawkinge. Hall made his last operational flight on 17th September, left the squadron in October and was awarded the DFC (gazetted 24th November 1942).

He lost his flying category for medical reasons and transferred to the Administrative Branch.

Hall was released from the RAF in 1944 as a Flight Lieutenant. He went on to join BEA as an administrator and then worked for 30 years with the RAC.

He joined the RAFVR in 1960. He wrote a memoir, Clouds of Fear, later republished posthumously as Spitfire Pilot.

Hall died on 19th December 2002 and is buried in St. James Cemetery, Dover.