Biographies beginning with H

Hall, Melville Keith

Melville Keith Hall, Petty Officer, AUS734-0476 (1900 - 1980) served as part of the Australian naval contingent in the Pacific during World War II.
He served as radio operator aboard the HMAS Kookaburra during 1939 - 1941, in August 1941 while patrolling Indonesian waters the Kookaburra, was attacked by a Japanese vessel.

After rescuing 15 of his fellow crewmen from the sinking Kookaburra, Hall then made sure the rescued crew where safely aboard other Allied ships before helping pursue the Japanese ship responsible for sinking the Kookaburra.

Melville Keith Hall, was awarded a medal for bravery for the rescue of his fellow sailors from the Kookaburra on October 12 1941 at a reception at Sydney town hall.

In 1942, Hall joined the allied defense of the top end of Australia. While the attacks on Darwin were coming to a stand still Hall was reassigned to defend Sydney Harbour from Japanese invasion.

Upon his retirement after the war in 1947, Melville Keith Hall and his wife moved to country New South Wales. He lived there until his death.

He died on the 4th of May 1980! He was 79.