In researching the defence of Brockworth Aerodrome and the Gloster Aircraft Company a number of audio interviews within the Imperial War Museum Archive have been found which might be relevant. Leonard was at Brockworth with 912 Barrage Balloon Squadron.
This interview with Leonard Hall was recorded in April 2005 by Peter Hart. There is a link at the bottom of the page to the first reel of the interview.
Leonard G Hall was born at Grimsby on 25 February 1917 over his father’s watchmaker and jeweller’s shop. He was an only child and his mother died before he was 3 years old. Brought up by maternal grandmother who lived and kept house for father.
Good country business- paternal grandfather had also been in this trade. Leonard described it as an ordinary provincial business serving only Lincolnshire
Educated at Clee Grammar School in Cleethorpes Lincolnshire attended from age of 8 to 18 good at maths and science, games enthusiastic but not very good. Was 2 years younger than his peers. Hobbies – stamp collecting to walking in the hills as a result of starting 2 years early Spratt 4 years in 6th form
1935 attended Cambridge University studied mathematics left in 1938 with a 2:2. Played a lot of games very badly including Football cricket squash and golf. Pleasant time. Aware of threat of war – meetings of Union and so on ,kept eyes and ears open.
Got a job with a life assurance company to become an actuary. Qualified as an actuary in 1949 and continued with company until retired as director in 1990 – based at St James Square in London.
Saw advertisement for meteorology officers to serve in RAF reserve. They were looking for people with degrees in maths, physics or geography. Following major interview accepted on RAF reserve and given a commission as a Pilot Officer in August 1939.1
Called up in sept 1939 by telegram and attended training course at Met office Training Centre at Berkeley Square House, London (whilst after Leonard Hall’s time the training school moved to Barnwood Gloucester in 1940)
Nelson Johnson was Met Office Director at that time, but couldn’t remember names of tutors. He described training as including weather systems, world climate, wind, fog, visibility, cold fronts, warm fronts, eclusions. He was very interested in metrology but disappointed that it was part civilian part RAF, thought he was really joining RAF.
Following training undertook three short term training postings, each for about 6 weeks. RAF Thornaby, near Middlesborough, operational station within coastal command undertaking reconnaissance flights. Moved to RAF Waddington bomber command and later posted to RAF Wyton in Huntingdonshire, also part of Bomber Command.
Typical days work involved plotting of weather maps, based on all the information that could be gathered. Go and take observations from Stevenson screen (white slatted boxes) including readings of temperature, humidity, wind direction and movement of weather systems.
There was a potential posting to Finland but there was an anticlimax when he was suddenly sent to a barrage balloon squadron at Sheffield and in May 1940 to Brockworth near Gloucester protecting an Aircraft Factory – mentions some air raids.
In terms of his attachment to 912 Barrage Balloon Squadron his arrival in the Squadron is recorded on 24 June 1940, which was then located at Cardington (Balloon HQ) and Leonard was attached to Cardington for rations and accommdation.2 On 3 September PO Brown Metrological Officer was recorded as returning to the Squadron on ceasing temporary duty at No.10 Group of Balloon Command. He was also recorded as attached the Squadron for Met duties wef 12 August 1940. This suggests that Leonard was part of a team of metrologists attached to the Squadron. On 5 December 1940 Pilot Officer L.G. Hall is recorded as being posted to PDC Uxbridge, the acronym probably being Personnel Dispatch Centre 3
He was then posted to Trinidad in December 1940 to provide weather forecasting there and later in west Africa. On his return voyage to the United Kingdom the ship he was on aboard, SS Nigerian, was torpedoed on 9 December 1942 and sank in the Atlantic; for the remainder of the war he was a prisoner of war in Germany.
Following the War he married Betty Minns and they had three children and Leonard died in 2010.4
- Gazetted as a Pilot Officer on probation in Metrological Branch, London Gazette 8 August 1939 pp 5487 Confirmed in rank from 1 August 1940 and promoted to Flying Officer on 21 November 1940 London Gazette 3 January 1941 pp 69 ↩︎
- 912 Squadron War Diary, 11 July 1940, page 66, National Archives, AIR27 2243. ↩︎
- 912 Squadron War Diary, 3 September 1940 page 91 and 18 September 1940, page 95. ↩︎
- Ancestry.co.uk record Leonard Graham Hall 1917-2010 Accessed on 1 September 2025 https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/115006379/person/290138471842/facts ↩︎