Douglas Irving "Sammy" Hall

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FLYERS AWARDED WINGS

Dunnville, Ont., June 19, 1942 —(CP)— Eight Ontario sergeants, all civil pilots before the war and former instructors at Canadian training schools, received their wings at No. 6 Service Flying Training school here today.
They were: E. Watson, J. M. D. Holden, R. D. Grogan, Toronto; P. H. Perdue, Oakville; R. H. Bennett, Brantford; H. L. Snider, Baden; V. B. Powers, London; F. S. McCarthy, Windsor.
Wings were presented by Wing-Cmdr V. H. Patriarchs, officer commanding the station.
Other Ontario graduates were: E. H. Edwards, W. T. Klersy, T. R. Martin, W. Smith, A. W. Smith, H. Taylor, J. A. Warren, all of Toronto; D. A. Armstrong, Trenton; G. W. Brown, S. A. Round, Sarnia; J. Clark, D. E. Smith, Woodstock; E. G. Duck, H. C. Spurgeon, Windsor; D. A. Hall, R. A. Neff, Ottawa; D. Hall, Milliken; E. S. Lavery, Listowel; A. V. Nightingale, Mount Forest; M. F. Pettibone, Lakeport; E. R. Proud, Edengrove; J. N. Parrish, Britton; W. Stirling, Niagara Falls; J. Shapter, Bracebridge; S. Tosh, Almonte; R. B. Trull, St. Thomas.

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HALL, F/L Douglas Irving (J12193) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.414 Squadron
Award effective 29 March 1945 as per London Gazette dated 10 April 1945 and
AFRO 802/45 dated 11 May 1945.

Throughout numerous sorties Flight Lieutenant Hall has proved himself to be a most competent and courageous pilot displaying tenacity and determination of the highest order. Several of his missions have involved deep penetrations into enemy territory in the face of intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire and adverse weather. He has destroyed three hostile aircraft. On one occasion in December 1944, his aircraft flying with another was attacked by at least fifteen enemy fighters. Throughout the ensuing combat Flight Lieutenant Hall displayed exceptional coolness and skill and although greatly outnumbered destroyed two Messerschmitt 109s. His enthusiasm and tenacity have provided an inspiring example to the other members of his squadron.

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Canadian Downs Four Hun Planes

London, May 3, 1945 —(CP Cable)— In the greatest single exploit of a day which saw R.C.A.F. planes slash at German transport on the Baltic, Flight-Lieut. D. I. Hall. D.F.C., of Milliken, Ont., a photo-reconnaissance pilot, yesterday destroyed three Focke-Wulfs and one Messerschmitt.
Flight-Lieut. Hall, returning from a mission, called at the Neustadt airfield and bagged four of 10 aircraft circling the field.

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Got Three FWs And One Me
In Slashing Attack On Hun Transport In Baltic Area

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Fighter Bombers Share in Pre-Peace Transport Orgy

RCAF fighter bombers based in Germany had one of their most spectacular days shortly before VE-Day as they joined in the great TAF assault on the dense concentrations of enemy transport fleeing towards Denmark ahead of the advancing British forces. Well over 250 MT were destroyed or damaged.
One of the greatest individual feats was turned in by F/L D.I. Hall, DFC, Milliken, Ont., a photo reconnaissance pilot. Returning from a mission, he called in on Neustadt airfield and found 10 FW's and Me's circling the field. He shot down three FW's and one Me.
S/L J.B. Thundergast, DFC, Victoria, B.C., on a similar reconnaissance in the Schwerin area, destroyed two FW190s. One of them plunged into Wismar Harbor.
Well over 350 sorties were flown by RCAF aircraft for the loss of one pilot during the day.
At dawn, pilots found every road leading west and northwest crammed with transport fleeing from the Russians. The attacks were limited by the order that nothing was to be hit unless identified visually.
Because of the numbers of refugees of the roads, no attacks were carried out on horse-drawn transportation or on pedestrians.
The bombline was continually altered with rapid advances of armored columns. A large concentration of vehicles crowding around Wismar was left for the Sixth Airborne Division to handle. The squadron attacked further west, around Lubec, until armored spearheads approached the port.

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Air Force Awards

Ottawa, July 17, 1945 — Royal Canadian Air Force headquarters last night announced that three more of its members were decorated for valour overseas.
Squadron Ldr. A. N. Roth, of 786 King street, London, Ont., has been made an additional member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Squadron Ldr. C. H. Mussells, of Westmount, Que., has been awarded the Distinguished Service Order and also the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Another D.F.C. went to Flight Lieut. D. I. Hall, of Milliken, Ont.
Roth received his award for courage and initiative shown in conducting the removal of a defective 500-pound bomb from an R.C.A.F. bomb dump where more than 168,000 bombs were stored.
There was no way of telling, when the defective bomb might; explode. Roth commandeered a mobile crane and with the assistance of the driver succeeded in lifting the missile onto a trolley. Other men then helped him to move the trolley by hand for some 50 yards.
Roth then obtained a tractor and towed the trolley to an open field about 800 yards away where the bomb, was successfully demolished by demolition crews.
Mussells remained with a crippled aircraft and returned to England because his mid-upper gunner was seriously wounded and could not bail out with other members of the crew.
Hall got his award for shooting down three Nazi planes and damaging two others during, a sortie last May.

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from the scrapbook:

HALL, F/L Donald Irving, DFC (J12193) - Bar to DFC - No.414 Squadron
Award effective 17 July 1945 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 1453/45 dated 14 September 1945.

Flight Lieutenant Hall has displayed considerable skill and ability both in the air and on the ground. He has completed a large number of sorties, including many reconnaissances. On a tactical reconnaissance mission in May 1945, he engaged a formation of enemy aircraft. In the ensuing combat, Flight Lieutenant Hall shot down three Focke Wulf 190s and a Messerschmitt 108 and damaged two others. His example of keenness and determination has set a high standard to all members of his squadron.

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Victories Include:

7 / 0 / 2

All recorded in Spit XIV - "M for Margo" except perhaps the 21 September kill
Sammy told me he got his first claim in a Mustang. Maybe another claim??

* Shores has MJ744 but squadron records say MK374

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Dougall is living in Uxbridge as of March 2009

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