October 30, 2023. In Part 1, Pieter’s research revealed how a small postcard-sized letter, written in September 1942 from POW camp Stalag Luft III, impacted two families from Prince Edward Island. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/10/23/on-the-war-memorial-trail-an-island-airman-in-stalag-luft-iii-part-1-2-families-connected-by-1-letter-from-a-pow-camp/)
The letter was found by Don Coutts, nephew of WWII pilot Elmer Bagnall MUTTART of Cape Traverse, who lost his life on October 12, 1941. It was written by John ‘Hubert’ HALL of Summerside, the pilot aboard Wellington Z1203, which crashed in The Netherlands near Mijdrecht on the night of March 28/29, 1942.
The camp was near the town of Sagan, Lower Silesia, in what was then Nazi Germany (but now Żagań, Poland), 160 kilometres (100 miles) south-east of Berlin. The movie ‘The Great Escape’ was based on an incident that happened in this camp in 1944. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III)
John ‘Hubert’ Hall. (Photo courtesy of the Hall Family)
After meeting Hubert’s son, Robert ‘Bob’ Hall, and his wife Joanne Sheen, we came away with a wealth of information about Hubert, who sadly died young, at the age of 39.
Left to right: Joanne Sheen, Bob Hall, Daria Valkenburg (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)
Now, in Part 2, more on Hubert’s story and his long march to freedom after leaving Stalag Luft III…..
Hubert was born January 4, 1915 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, the son of Franklin and Marion (nee Howatt) Hall. As a child, he and his brother Paddy went with their parents to Western Canada, and he attended school in Camrose, Alberta. Unfortunately, the family’s hope for a better economic future was disrupted by the Depression, and Mrs Hall returned to the Island with her sons. Then, after WWII began, both sons enlisted in the RCAF.
Hubert enlisted at the RCAF Recruiting Centre in Moncton on June 26, 1940. He took his initial flight training at No. 11 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) RCAF Station Cap de la Madeleine, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. He received primary pilot training, including solo flying of a basic training aircraft, and graduated on December 9, 1940.
In December 1940, he was sent to No. 2 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) RCAF Station Uplands in Ottawa, Ontario for continued pilot training on an advanced single or multi engine training aircraft.
Print of a Wellington bomber displayed in Bob Hall’s home office. (Photo credit: D Valkenburg)
After receiving his wings, he left Canada for the United Kingdom and by May 1941 was training on a Wellington bomber at No. 12 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RAF Benson, England.
On June 19, 1941, Hubert began flying while attached to 142 Squadron of the RAF. He was second pilot for 10 operations, and then pilot for 7 operations. Wellington Z1203 turned out to be his 7th and final operation…..
…The air crew aboard the last flight of Wellington Z1203….
- Pilot – Pilot Officer John ‘Hubert’ HALL, of the RCAF
- Second Pilot – Flight Sgt Lawrence Hugh HOUGHTON, of the RAF
- Navigator – Flight Sgt John Edward HARRITT, of the RAF
- Wireless Operator/Air Gunner – Flight Sgt Arthur Richard TIDDER, of the RAF
- Front Gunner – Sgt Geoffrey Peter WADSWORTH, of the RAF
- Rear Gunner – Sgt Ernest Joseph PETTITT, of the RAF
….The last flight of Wellington Z1203….
Map shows the plane’s path from England towards Lübeck. On the return to England, the plane was hit by flak near Kiel and diverted to The Netherlands where it crashed near Mijdrecht. (Map prepared by Wendy Nattress)
According to the records, Wellington Z1203 departed RAF Grimsby at 21:28 pm on March 28, 1942 on a bombing operation to Lübeck, Germany. During the return to base in the early hours of March 29, the plane was hit by German flak as it crossed the coast near Kiel. A fuel line was damaged, causing fuel loss. With insufficient fuel to return to England, the pilot – Hubert Hall – diverted the plane, turning inwards towards The Netherlands.
All six crew members were able to bail out and became prisoners of war for the duration of the war. The airplane dove into the ground and crashed in Mijdrecht, near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
…The long march to freedom….
According to Hubert’s Liberated Prisoner of War form, following the crash, he was first taken to Frankfurt, Germany, to Dulag Luft Frankfurt, a POW transit camp, for interrogation. He was there from April 1, 1942 to May 7, 1942. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulag_Luft)
Hubert then was sent to POW camp Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Lower Silesia (Żagań, Poland). He was there from May 9, 1942 until January 27, 1945.
As Russian forces advanced to less than 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) of Stalag Luft III, the POWs felt that liberation was only a matter of days away. Their hopes were dashed as on the evening of January 27, 1945, word came that Hitler had ordered the immediate evacuation of the camp. The POWs in all six compounds were instructed to prepare to march that very night. (See https://www.stalagluft3.com/long-march/)
The march began in the early hours of January 28, 1945, with the POWs trudging through heavy snow, cold weather, and even a blizzard.
The long march from Stalag Luft III to Tarmstedt in the winter of 1945. (Map source: https://www.stalagluft3.com/long-march/)
Stuart Bruce Keith ‘Brack’ BRACKENBURY, an RCAF pilot from Ontario, was Hubert’s roommate in the Stalag, according to an account his daughter Ana Brickley gave to the Hall family. Brack was the pilot aboard the last flight of Hampden P1165, on an operation to Hüls, Germany, which was shot down and crashed at Winterswijk, Gelderland, The Netherlands on December 28, 1941. He was the only survivor of that crash.
Per her father’s recollection, Ana explained that they “…marched west away from the Russians and walked to a glass factory halfway to Hamburg, and stayed there a few months as they were too weak to walk further….” This may be Marlag und Milag Nord in Tarmstedt, Germany, as Hubert’s Liberated Prisoner of War form stated he was there from February 4, 1945 until April 10, 1945.
Marlag und Milag Nord in Tarmstedt, Germany. (Photo source: https://www.stalagluft3.com/long-march/)
Ana’s account noted that the men later “...went into boxcars….” by train “…to Hamburg and then walked to the Baltic Sea…” They were eventually “…liberated in Lübeck...” which is a Baltic port. Hubert’s Liberated Prisoner of War Form noted that they were liberated on May 2, 1945 in Trenthorst, a small settlement on the estate of German business magnate Philipp F. Reemtsma.
Their ordeal wasn’t quite over as Ana recounted that “…the army was going to drive the liberated men in trucks back to France. They objected. Winston Churchill heard about it and said ‘they flew in, and they’ll fly out’. And they did…..”
Hubert received his official discharge on July 27, 1945 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
….Back on Prince Edward Island….
During his time as a POW, Hubert had contracted tuberculosis, and when he returned back to the Island, he “…was in the sanatorium in Charlottetown…” Bob explained.
Once he left the sanatorium, Hubert worked at Hall Manufacturing, and then became the Sheriff of Prince County on July 15, 1947. In Canada, a sheriff is a law enforcement officer, but not a police officer, as in the USA. Sheriffs’ offices in Canada are primarily concerned with court services such as security in and around the courts, post-arrest prisoner transfer, serving legal processes, fine collection.
Bob explained that his father met his mother, Audrey ‘Forrona’ England when he became Sheriff. “…She worked at the Bank of Nova Scotia in Summerside, and most likely that’s where they met…”
Bob shared a story about his parents’ first date. “…My father had a gorgeous black Rover with red leather seats. On their first date, they went for a drive. When they stopped, my mother opened the door, and a heavy wind gust blew the door off!...”
Unfortunately, Hubert died in December 1954, leaving behind his wife Forrona and their two sons, Robert and Brenton. He’s buried at the People’s Cemetery in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, alongside his wife Forrona, who died in 2009.
Joanne Sheen wrote us, saying “….thank you so much for your visit. The tireless work and passion you both have for your project is amazing….Bob and I were very touched by the conversation….the visit brought Hubert to life. Sad that it was a life cut short but Hubert was luckier than many in that he did get to return home and for a time, a happy life with his wife Forrona and two little boys….”
Thank you to Bob Hall and Joanne Sheen for providing information about Hubert Hall. Thank you to Wendy Nattress, who prepared the map showing the flight path for Wellington Z1203, and to Yannic Wethly for sending Hubert’s Liberated Prisoner Of War Form.
Do you have a story to tell? Email Pieter Valkenburg at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or send a tweet to @researchmemori1.
© Daria Valkenburg
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