Arthur Clayton Hall was born in the June quarter of 1917 (St.Asaph Vol. 11b, Page 502), the son of William & Frances Hall (nee Kynaston), and baptised on the 6th of June 1917 in Rhyl, the address then was 94 Millbank Road, Rhyl. William was a Policeman.
William & Frances married in Worthenbury Parish Church on the14th of December 1914, William , 23, was a Police Constable, living at 48, Ffynnongroew Road, Rhyl, his father was Sandford (sic) Harry HALL, Farmer. William’s bride was Frances Kynaston, 26, Spinster, living at Boundary House, Worthenbury. Their witnesses were Maggie Hall, William’s sister and Edward Gittins.
Arthur had 2 siblings to my knowledge, an older brother, James K. Hall born in the December quarter of 1915 (St Asaph Vol. 11b, Page 475) and also a sister Joyce Lucy Hall born in the September quarter of 1918 (St.Asaph Vol. 11b, Page 515). I do not know for certain, but suspect that William was stationed at a Police Station at Rhyl during these years.
The first time we see Arthur Clayton Hall is on the 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921, when he was living with his parents and siblings at 12, Golftyn Street, Connah’s Quay, where his father William Hall was now the Police Constable in Connah’s Quay. William Hall was now age 29 years and 10 months and had been born in Shocklach in Cheshire. Frances Hall was now age 32 years and 6 months and had been born in Whitchurch, Shropshire. Their children were:- James Kynaston Hall age 5 years 9 months, Arthur Clayton Hall, age 4 years 2 months and Joyce Lucy Hall age 2 years 9 months, all had been born in Rhyl, Flintshire.
William and the children were to suffer a terrible loss when their mother Frances died in 1929, she was buried in Bronington, Flintshire, on the 24th of June, age 40 years, her address then was the Police Station,Hanmer.
I have no knowledge of Arthur’s early or teen years and he is not seen on the 1939 National Register (Taken on the 29th of September 1939). I suspect he was already in the Services. His father was the Police Sergeant at the Police Station, situated at 292 High Street, Connah’s Quay. This source tells us that Arthur’s mother Frances had died as William is shown as a Widower, his date of birth being the 13th August 1890. Arthur’s sister Joyce Lucy Hall, was born the 13th July 1918, she is single and a “Powers Operator.” There were two other people in the household, a Sarah Ann and Florence A. Allsobrook, written as Allsorook on the register, probably mother and daughter, she was the housekeeper for the Hall family. Florence Annie Allsobrook, I believe, married Arthur’s future bride Eileen’s brother, Graham Dawson in 1939 at St. Mark’s Church,
Arthur was to meet and eventually marry Eileen Dawson at St. Mark’s Church, Connah’s Quay on the 19th of September 1940. Arthur Clayton Hall, 23, a bachelor and Marine Engineer, who’s address was given as The Police Station, Connah’s Quay and his father was William Hall, Police Sergeant. His bride was Eileen Dawson, 22, a spinster who lived at the Orchid, Wepre Drive, and her father was Ernest Dawson, a Steel Smelter. They married by Licence. It was wartime so I wonder if they had married quickly as Arthur had to be back at his ship, which was sunk on the 16th January 1941.
We learn more of Arthur’s death on his Casualty Card and this source also tells us his wife’s Christian name –Eileen, also Arthur’s birthplace as Rhyl, his Rank as 5th Engineer Officer, age and the name of the ship that he died on, etc. His cause of death was – Missing, presumed drowned, ship sunk by enemy action. This also states that his address was “The Orchid,” Wepre Drive.
However I have now found the National Register entry for Eileen’s family, living at 51, Wepre Park, which is after Wepre Drive, opposite Windsor Avenue. Ernest Dawson, Eileen’s father was a First Hand, Steel Furnace Man and her mother Sarah was, as is usual on this register, doing “Unpaid Domestic Work,” this phrase always describes married women who were not in any particular work. Eileen Dawson,’s date of birth was given as the 6th December 1917 and she was a Dress Maker.
Arthur is seen listed on the UK, Shipping and Seamen WWI and WWII Rolls of Honour, 1914-1945 for Arthur Clayton Hall, see below.
He is also listed on the Arthur Clayton Hall in the UK, Shipping and Seamen WWI and WWII Rolls of Honour, 1914-1945, see below.
As you can see he died in 1941, which was a tragedy, but more grief was to come for William who had already lost his wife Frances, there was now only himself and his remaining children James Kynaston & Joyce Lucy. However more was to come for William as in the following year, 1942, his daughter Joyce Lucy who had married David George Williams on the 21st December 1939, was set to follow her new husband and another couple from Deeside, John Harold Pickering and his new wife, Elizabeth Elsie Pickering (nee Coppack) – daughter of Tom Coppack, ship builder – to a new life in South Africa, on the ship S.S. “Ceramic.” but again, very sadly, the sea was to claim them, they were lost at sea, please read their stories by clicking on the links. Also lost on that ship was Leonard PRATT, who is remembered on the Hawarden WW2 War Memorial. Their journey was to help Churchill’s desire to create Steel Mills in South Africa , read Tom Coppack’s book “ “A Lifetime with Ships.”
The submarine that sunk the “Oropesa” was the U-96 and at 03.56 hours on 16 Jan 1941 the unescorted Oropesa (Master Harry E.H. Croft) was hit in the stern by one G7a torpedo from U-96 southeast of Rockall. A first coup de grâce fired at 04.40 hours became a cirle runner, but the two others fired at 05.03 and 05.59 hours hit underneath the bridge and amidships and caused her to capsize and sink at 06.16 hours. The master, 98 crew members, one gunner and six passengers were lost. 109 crew members, one gunner and 33 passengers were picked up by HMS Superman (W 89), HMS Tenacity (W 18) and HMS Westcott (D 47) (LtCdr W.F.R. Segrave, RN) and landed at Liverpool.
(Many thanks to https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/738.html)
William made sure that Arthur’s name was to live forever more by adding his name to the memorial, and one can only imagine the grief that he went through, losing 2 of his children, who he loved so much, in such a short time. I am adding Joyce Lucy and her husband David George William ’s name to any new memorial, along with the John Harold & Elizabeth Elsie Pickering to those that were left off, for whatever reason, if a new WW2 Memorial Plaque is ever erected, as they should be remembered as she was going with her husband to do the Government’s war work travelling to South Africa.
Eileen Hall eventually married again in 1947 to James A. Morgan in the Chatham registration district (Chatham Vol. 5b Page 555 ).
