Memory Project Archive
Alexander Hall
In 2009, The Memory Project interviewed Alexander Hall, a veteran of the Second World War. The following recording (and transcript) is an excerpt from this interview. Hall was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1921, and enlisted in the Royal Navy in January 1940 at the age of 19, receiving his training in England. He was soon promoted to the rank of leading seaman. In this testimony, Hall talks about some of his missions during the war, such as travelling to Russia, Halifax, and Norway. He describes his involvement in Operation Claymore, a joint British/Norwegian commando raid tasked with blowing up fish oil factories; they returned to England with volunteers for the “Free Norwegian Forces”. He also describes doing escort duty on a ship which sank in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as participating in the (aborted) commando raid of Bayonne. Hall immigrated to Canada in 1946. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.