Lt. Charles Hall, 60 Squadron RFC, KIA 7 April 1917

[Old Man]

I am hoping to get more information on this young man. All I know besides the above is that he flew Nieuport 17 A6766 (A*5). I am making a small model of this aeroplane, and would like to know a bit more about the fellow who flew it, and died in it. Even just such items as place and date of birth, outline of service record, would be most welcome.

[josquin]

Old Man,

Charles Sidney Hall was born in Northumberland, in 1898; his birth was registered in the 2nd Quarter of the year (Apr-June), so he

was probably born in May or June, since both the 1901 & 1911 Census listed his age as 2 & 12 at the time the census was taken, in April. His parents were Joseph John & Nellie Hall, of Westfield, Ashington, Northumberland (postwar address) but the family was living in Durham at the time of the 1911 Census and in Northumberland in 1901. CWGC indicates he was a 2nd Lieutenant with 60

Squadron, RFC, & General List (so no prior service in other Army units), and he was 18 years old on 7 April 1917. You may be able

to gather additional details from his RAF officer's service record, available online (for a fee) from the National Archives

(the file is "C.S. Hall, AIR 76/203/46"). The aircraft list on the Aerodrome Forum lists A6766 as a Nieuport 23 and the pilot as

2/Lt. Charles Sidney Hall, of 60 Squadron. Lt. Hall is buried at Tilloy British Cemetery, Pas de Calais. Perhaps other Forum

members can inform you regarding the circumstances of his last flight.

Regards,

Trelawney

[Dolphin]

2Lt Charles Sidney Hall of No 60 Sqn RFC, a native of Ashington, Northumberland, was 18 when he was killed in action on 7 April 1917. A patrol of Nieuports from No 60 Sqn left Filescamp Farm aerodrome on an Offensive Patrol at 16:40, and fought 4 Albatros D.IIIs from Jasta 11 north of Mercatel at 17:45. The fight drifted to the British side of the lines before two Nieuports were shot down, the pilots being killed in action:

A6645, 2Lt G O Smart, was credited to Rittm Manfred von Richthofen;

A6766, 2Lt C S Hall, was credited to Ltn Kurt Schäfer or Ltn Kurt Wolff;

B1517, Lt H E Harvey, suffered engine damage but was able to return to base. Some of the Nieuports were unable to fight the German machines due to frozen Lewis guns.

No 60 Sqn also lost A6773, Capt M B Knowles, who was made PoW when shot down by Ltn Wilhelm Frankl of Jasta 4.

I hope this is useful.

Gareth

[topgun1918]

From "Flight" 28 June 1917:

Second Lieutenant CHARLES SIDNEY HALL, R.F.C., who was only 18 years of age, was killed in an air fight at the Front on April 7th. He was the son of Mr. J. J. Hall, of Westfield, Ashington, Northumberland, and was educated at the North-Eastern County School, Barnard Castle, and Armstrong College, University of Durham, where he was preparing for the profession of a mining engineer. He was a member of the O.T.C. both at school and at the University, and held an honorary instructor's certificate and the medallion of the Royal Life Saving Society. His eldest brother, Captain L. W. Hall, R.F.C. and Border Regiment, is an R.F.C. fighting instructor, and his other brother is serving with the R.E, at the Front. Mr. Hall was very popular with all ranks.

Graeme

[Old Man]

Thank you very much, Gentlemen! This is all a tremendous help.

Putting the above together, it sounds like the young man enlisted in the R.F.C. soon after he turned 18, and had contemplated doing so for a while before he did. He seems to have been an athletic sort, a swimmer, with a technical bent.

I will see what I can find from the on-line Archives regarding service dates. I suspect he went straight to No. 60 from training, and had not been there very long when he was killed.

I confess a sort of brain-freeze on the:type: I am working off a photograph in Mr. Revell's recent 60 Squadron book, and the caption clearly states A6766 is a Nieuport 23. From a modeler's point of view it makes no difference; once the Vickers had been swapped for a Lewis the types are indistinguishable externally. The photograph shows the machine with the horse-shoe cowling No. 60 Nieuports often displayed, and with a flat windscreen between the inverted vee rear cabane strutting, very different from factory standard but, again, often seen on this squadron's Nieuports.

[Dolphin]

The Cross & Cockade Nieuport monograph has a little more on Nieuport 23 A6766:

The French number was SFA N2950; engine No T3894. It was delivered to No 2 Aircraft Depot from Paris by Lt de Marmier on 16 March 1917, and then to No 60 Sqn by Lt W P Garnett on 26 March. 2Lt C S Hall was credited with an Albatros D.III out of control near Fontaine on 2 April. When written off on 7 April it had accumulated 22hrs 44min flying time.

I hope this is useful.

Gareth

[Old Man]

That is helpful, Sir, thank you.

It pushes the date of that photograph in Mr. Revell's book even closer to the young man's death. One of the other machines in it was delivered to the squadron on 22 March, so I knew the picture had to have been taken after that; this makes it impossible for the picture to have been taken before the 26th.

[Old Man]

Well, gentlemen, the model is completed and posted up; Pictures and a bit of a write-up can be found here:

http://www.greatwaraviation.com/forum/index.php/topic,5667.0.html

http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=1762.0

Thank you all very much for your assistance. The depth of knowledge is here is impressive, and just as impressive is your willingness to share it.

[David J Hall]

Not sure if this thread is still “live”, but I’ve only just found it unfortunately. I’m intrigued as to whether any of you have a personal link to this RFC pilot you are discussing. I am impressed by the detail mentioned here, the majority of which I was already aware of, partly via private family documents. I only ask, as 2nd Lt CS Hall was my Grandad’s cousin!!! CS Hall had two other brothers, one was also in the RFC and survived the war afterwards serving in the RAF, the other, a sapper with the Royal Engineers, was captured blowing up bridges on the Marne and unfortunately died a POW in Antwerp a month before the end of hostilities.

[Niko]

On 11/11/2021 at 04:13, David J Hall said:

CS Hall had two other brothers, one was also in the RFC and survived the war afterwards serving in the RAF, the other, a sapper with the Royal Engineers, was captured blowing up bridges on the Marne and unfortunately died a POW in Antwerp a month before the end of hostilities.

If I had known that only one day earlier, I could have visited his grave. I was at Schoonselhof on 11/11.

 

[sadbrewer]

On 11/11/2021 at 03:13, David J Hall said:

Not sure if this thread is still “live”, but I’ve only just found it unfortunately. I’m intrigued as to whether any of you have a personal link to this RFC pilot you are discussing. I am impressed by the detail mentioned here, the majority of which I was already aware of, partly via private family documents. I only ask, as 2nd Lt CS Hall was my Grandad’s cousin!!! CS Hall had two other brothers, one was also in the RFC and survived the war afterwards serving in the RAF, the other, a sapper with the Royal Engineers, was captured blowing up bridges on the Marne and unfortunately died a POW in Antwerp a month before the end of hostilities.

There are a few references to be found in the British Newspaper Archive of the Hall's of Westfield, Ashington.

From The Newcastle Journal, May 12th, 1917.

 

[helpjpl]

 

1. de Ruvigny, Volume 3:

2.  findagrave:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15991389/charles-sidney-hall

JP

[draperju]

See ashingtonmemorial.com for more information

Draperju

[David J Hall]

Thanks for all your replies. I had got most of this information in family records. My only query was whether any of you had a personal connection to him, or whether you all just purely have an interest in the events as part of your wider studies. Just intrigued to find out how he ends up being studied by you all in so much detail. David Hall.

[Grant C]

David, I’m very late to this thread but as an added piece of information I recently acquired via a reputable dealer an identity disc belonging 2nd Lt Hall. Happy to send photographs if you’d like me too.

[David J Hall]

Thanks for this. I would love to have a copy of this please for my records. You can send via my personal email dhall12@hotmail.com. Look forward to hearing from you. David