Allegiance New Zealand Role RNZAF officer Years of service 1941–1945 Battles and wars World War II | Battles/wars World War II Rank Flight lieutenant Name Peter Hall Unit No. 488 Squadron RNZAF | |
Service/branch | ||
Peter Francis Locker Hall, (16 May 1922 – 22 May 2010) was a New Zealand fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.
Contents
Early life
Born in Opotiki, New Zealand, on 16 May 1922, Hall become infatuated with flight in 1928 when his father bought him a plane ride with Australian aviation pioneer Charles Kingsford Smith.
Second World War
Hall enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1941, and joined No. 488 Squadron in Europe in 1943. Along with his Royal Air Force navigator, Pilot Officer Richard Marriott, Hall was credited with eight confirmed kills, those being five Junkers 88s, a Messerschmitt Me 410, and two Dornier 217s. Hall and Marriott were both awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 19 September 1944 for their "commendable skill and keenness" in flying operations, which was followed by the award of a Bar to their decorations just two weeks later. The London Gazette citation for the Bars read:
Flight Lieutenant Peter Francis Locker HALL, D.F.C. (N.Z.413841), R.N.Z.A.F., 488 (N.Z.) Sqn.
Flying Officer Richard D'Arcy MARRIOTT, D.F.C. (141337), R.A.F.V.R., 488 (N.Z.) Sqn.
As pilot and observer respectively these officers continue to display the highest standard of skill and gallantry. Recently, within a short period they have destroyed 4 enemy aircraft, bringing their victories to 8.
Post-war and later life
After the war, Hall chose to stay in England with his wife Mary, living in Cumbria, and became an aircraft salesman for de Havilland. Hall regularly returned to New Zealand. He left de Havilland in 1972 and established an award-winning woodcraft and furniture business. He enjoyed such a good reputation that at one point he was commissioned to create bowls for Diana, Princess of Wales.
Peter Hall died on 22 May 2010, just six days after his 88th birthday. His wife had died in 2009. They were survived by their three children.