My best mate Bill passed away on October 27th 2012 in his 92nd year. I never thought of Bill as being old and although after the recent car accident where he was rear ended while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green led to him being hospitalized and as a result becoming unwell, I thought he was on the mend.

I called him before I left on Thursday, October 25th to check on how he was feeling and to say goodbye and let him know that I would see him on Sunday.

I was instructing phase 3 Specialist CQB in Auckland on the morning of Saturday October 27th and as I talking to Oggy a friend of both Bill and I about Bill I received a call from Bill’s son Linden to give me the sad news.

I was devastated and it took me considerable inner resolve to continue with my duties.

I immediately thought of what Bill would have wanted me to do and this was what got me through my time away. I had a special relationship with Bill and he treated me like a son.

It was over 25 years ago that I first met Bill when he entered my training facility to sharpen up on the skills he learned during World War II.

This was the result of an altercation he had with a large group of troublemakers at his holiday house.

The following are extracts from an interview I had done with Bill some years back for the record of service column and are in Bills own words.

From The Archives: Record of Service: Bill Hall

The huge turnouts at the dawn parades are made up of a large percentage of young people showing their respect and appreciation to those that fought and gave so much to ensure freedom for so many. I too share in the respect and admiration for these brave men. I have with my profession been privileged to work with and train many true professional unsung heroes.

My dear friend Mr. Bill Hall is one such unsung hero and it is his recollections that make up this first such inclusion. Bills honesty and modesty is only surpassed by his courage and conviction to do what is right no matter how hard that maybe in every aspect of his life.

Bill joined the Armed Forces in 1937 initially with the New Zealand territorial forces First Otago Regiment.

When the second Scots were formed Bill transferred to them and was later selected to join the Independent Company. When the New Zealand government decided not to send any soldiers under the age of 21 to serve in the army overseas Bill joined the air force. He was transferred to the Third Otago Regiment where he became a private and peeled potatoes for six weeks before leaving for the Royal New Zealand Air Force where he went through number one composite course in Rotorua.

He was with the first group of aircrew to go there. He was then sent to Taieri as a pilot under training. Bill was grounded at Taieri for low flying but as he says that’s by the by. Bill then went back, remustered, and left New Zealand bound for Canada to fly on what was then known as secret aircraft. In all there were 14 including Bill preparing to be navigator wireless operators on the secret aircraft that turned out to be the Mosquitoes.

The group was divided half on the navigation course and half on the wireless course. Halfway through the course they were interviewed by Tiny White and informed the New Zealand government was no longer intending to purchase a squadron of the Mosquitoes and that Bill and the rest of the group would have to stay on the courses they were on.

Bill completed his course and finished up as a wireless operator air gunner. From Canada Bill went to the United Kingdom and at the end of hostilities in 1945 he returned on a ship called the Mooltan. Bill’s service in the United Kingdom saw him finish up on 626 Squadron Number One Group Bomber Command. It was during Bills training phase in the United Kingdom that he underwent unarmed combat training. He had already undergone basic unarmed combat training with the Independent Force prior to leaving New Zealand.

Three months after I retired we were attacked at our holiday home. When we were attacked I used skills, which I had been taught in World War II. There were 10 or 11 people involved in the attack and the police report said there was up to 100 present.

There were only about 10 or 11 that actually came at me. The ringleader who made the first move was in his twenties and a well-known fighter. He attempted to use his skills and I reacted bending him over and to be honest for a second was going to kill him. I came within inches and seconds of doing that when it flashed through my mind that this was a New Zealand citizen that I was about to kill. I stopped and threw him down and away from me. My understanding from the Police is that he was incapacitated for about three months. The Police stated there was a good chance if they had got me on the ground they would have kicked my head in however if I had killed one of them I could have faced a man slaughter or murder charge.

I then decided to go back and brush up the skills I possessed prior to 1945. I did not realise there was any unarmed combat training available so I visited 3 martial arts schools in Dunedin. Each of the instructors at these schools asked of my previous experience and I briefly outlined it.

The first two advised me to go and see Geoff Todd at the School of Self Defence. The third instructor stated that he thought he could beat me easily as he just returned from training in Japan. I asked him how he would do that and he replied he would kick me, he then demonstrated his actions at which point I laughed and informed him he had been dead for the past 15 seconds.

I went to visit Geoff Todd at that time and explained how incensed I was in regard to the attack as they not only threatened myself, but had also threatened my wife and to burn down our holiday home. The implication that my wife would be harmed had quite an effect on me and this is what brought me to the School of Self Defence.

I explained to Geoff Todd my situation current health and background and found that he could provide what I was looking for.

I trained for six months and I provided some nervous moments for my training partners as my reactions and actions of the past tended to at times be reflex and not pulled short.

I’ve had a long association with the (Todd Group’s) School of Self Defence since I began the training that I needed to avoid killing someone in a self-defence situation. It has been my pleasure to be associated with the School of Self Defence. I have met many fine people, and their code of conduct that proclaims the more knowledge you possess the more responsible you are has my full backing and confidence.

I learnt many methods over and above what we were taught in World War II. What I was taught in World War II was to bring everything to final fatal conclusion in a very small space of time. What I have learnt at the School of Self Defence is to immobilise your assailants in order that you might walk away in the same small space of time.

For the unarmed combat training, because of the particular squadron Bill was serving in they were taken away each day for three weeks where they were taught hand-to-hand combat at an undisclosed location.

Bill’s instructor was a little Scottish corporal who was extremely proficient and his methods were quite simple. He instructed in the following manner, he would demonstrate the skill twice then you would practice the skill three times, if you got it correct the first time then that was good and you could continue, if you got it wrong twice you would get a good slap on the back and if you could not get it right the third time you would end up flat on your back.

Bill describes the hand to hand combat as methods of self-preservation designed to completely eliminate the enemy in the shortest possible time using anything that was handy in order to accomplish this result or if there was no improvised weapon available, well then it was bare hands boots and your entire body. The training was referred to as the dirty tricks brigade.

Bill states he had the privilege of flying with some very brave men and if anybody said they weren’t scared, well then they simply were not there.

The day Bill walked up the stairs at the Todd Group was the start of a friendship of over 25 years grown out of mutual respect trust and loyalty to one another.

Bill was a management accountant who recognized from the outset that the Todd Group business model was based on setting and maintaining combative standards over sound business practices.

Bill was my accountant adviser mentor and the number one advocate for my Todd Systems training. He guided me to achieve the excellent outcomes globally that the Todd Group has and continues to produce.

When I returned home from the war I went back to working at the Post Office working in the money order and savings bank divisions. I completed my accountancy qualifications and also was a part-time student at the University of Otago. I worked all day and studied at night achieving my bachelor of commerce. On completing this I obtained further qualifications, which included anzim and anzcs.

I was next offered a transfer by the Post Office to head office in Wellington, which I declined. I later moved to a Dunedin firm of public accountants and worked for them for the next two or three years mainly doing auditing. My next position was secretary accountant for J and W. Faulkner Ltd. I was then offered a position as financial controller for Reckitt & Colman that involved a transfer to Auckland so I declined the offer. I then joined the New Zealand Plunket Society as their New Zealand treasurer and spent the next 21 years until retirement in this position. I was responsible for the control of considerable government funds and preparation of yearly and three yearly budgets that entailed a considerable amount of management accounting. The Plunket society at that time had 234 cars on the road owned around $10 million worth of properly and had in the vicinity of 790 employees.

I retired in 1986 and since have held a number of voluntary positions with various organizations working to help as many people as possible. I was the Otago President of Grey Power for a number of years, mainly involved with assisting the elderly and needy. I wrote the submissions to the human rights commission regarding asset stripping of the elderly and also was involved in considerable negotiations with government around the issues of the treatment of our senior citizens. I’m also the president of the Brevet club Otago and have been an executive member of the Dunedin RSA and at present I am a trustee of Dunedin RSA Welfare Trust. I have been a member of the School of Self Defence since 1986.

Bill and I were involved in wide-ranging self-defense and close combat activities including organizing training camps, national and international courses and speaking on self-defence.

Bill told me that the first time he entered my training facility and observed me instructing it was like being back in the United Kingdom under the instruction of his World War II commando unarmed combat instructor.

He was involved in many of my projects and was always excited to see the end results.

He reminded me in hospital that he wanted one of my TSB45 double handle rotational expandable batons as soon as we went to production.

He had been actively involved in recommending me for providing instruction to various government agencies and services.

I informed him of one such service that he had wanted me to train for many years had just requested my services.

The smile it brought to his face when I told him and how quickly his hand shot out to shake my hand really proved how satisfied he was with this training confirmation.

New Zealand has a long and continuous history in military CQB/CQC and Bill was a very humble unsung proponent of it. We have continued with the European military master-chief instructor’s work developing the individual skills and training packages they initiated to ensure our teaching provided the best of primary CQB/CQC skills for our operators.

This is something Bill was very proud of.

I would regularly demonstrate my newly developed combative tactics and skills to Bill and he would always give me his honest opinion and make any suggestions.

The late Harry Baldock, Pat “Shocker” Shaw and Jimmy Page were all military combative instructors trained in Brit unarmed combat. These three were NZ pioneers in European military close combat.

For the past 25 plus years I have continued with these New Zealand military instructors work along with my best Mate Bill who was always working with me to get the people that needed the training the very best training possible.

Bill would comment how European military unarmed combat was in many countries lost or as he put it a forgotten trade and that how NZ through a few that had trained and qualified in military unarmed combat with sound military instructing records had kept it not only alive but made sure it was the most current.

This is the link to the previous article I wrote about Bill for the record of service column. https://magazine.fighttimes.com/record-of-service-bill-hall/

I can clearly remember when I interviewed Bill for this article how he sat with his eyes closed for several hours remembering some things he would rather have forgotten and had tried to forget since World War II. This was a very special time for me.

The article contains some of Bills memories from Bomber command.

Let me tell you a little about the training Bill and I done together in the early years of our friendship.

We compared tactics and skills in unarmed combat subjects such as combat knife fighting, the bayonet in combat and quick and silent commando unarmed combat skills.

Bill told me of the spring-loaded knife he was issued with in theUnited Kingdomwhile undergoing his commando unarmed combat training and how it would penetrate plywood with ease.

He was a real fan of the stamp kick, hand edge strike, and chin jab with a knee to the groin.

He was proficient in World War I unarmed combat as taught to him in the independent force and the Fairbairn system as taught to him in the United Kingdom. He always referred to it as the dirty tricks brigade.

He showed me some skills taught to him by his stocky little Scottish unarmed combat instructor who he said reminded him of me.

Some of these silent killing skills as they were known I had not seen before especially one particular silent suffocation skill.

Bill was the Todd Group’s most respected life member and a guest of honor at our 80 years anniversary of providing unarmed combat training.

He was a principal on one of my close personal protection courses and attended training conducted by many of my military close combat master instructor friends and colleagues.

He reveled in such associations and was dearly respected by all such visitors.

I took Bill pistol shooting and this provided him the opportunity to show me the instinctive and aimed combat shooting skills he had been taught in World War II including the pointing with the index finger and operating the trigger with the second finger.

He was always the most appreciative recipient of my publications and DVD productions and he had featured in some of my articles and productions.

Bill was a man of the highest integrity he had a deep religious faith was completely loyal and uncompromising.

One of his favorite sayings in business was assess decide execute and I modified it for self-defence to evade assess execute your counter engagement.

He reminded me often that this was from his saying.

Bill believed all responsible New Zealanders should have self-defence training and made self defence his hobby and promoting the benefits of the Todd Systems self defence training his voluntary duty. He would tell everyone it was the cheapest insurance when you are left with no out or other option.

Bill’s greatest love was Mrs. Hall and when he was in considerable pain in hospital with spinal fractures from the accident his major concern and motivation was to ensure he recovered as quickly as possible so he could get home and take care of Mrs. Hall.

He told me that he had an agreement with Mrs. Hall that if she ever wanted to leave him that would be alright as long as she took him with her.

Bill reckoned they should erect a plaque on the spot where he got off the train in Dunedin on his return from World War II to the love of his life Mrs. Hall waiting there to meet him.

Bill was very proud of his children Linden, Christine, and Duchesne and told me of how the Hall family was very much dominated by dentists.

Bill was truly a gentleman from an era where being a gentleman was paramount and my wife Trish recalled how when Bill accompanied her to the bank he would always walk beside her on the side closest to the traffic.

I can remember driving with Bill on more than one occasion and when he saw a funeral procession he made the sign of the crucifix.

He was fiercely protective of family and friends and although he was a generous kind and loving man he did not take kindly to fools.

Bill showed me and my family such genuine love and care and he was as proud of my daughter Jessica’s wrestling school and university achievements as I was.

When Bill knew he was right he would fight to the end of the earth doing what was right to achieve the proper outcome.

While writing this article about Bill I received a phone call from a man who read an interview I gave on Bill to a local newspaper.

He told me that in the early 1980s Bill supported Mosgiel residents with the keeping of their country hospital open and was successful when the powers that be wanted it closed.

He said unfortunately a decade later and after Bill had retired the hospital was closed.

He remembered Bill as a man of principle that did not back down for what was right and how he fought hard against considerable official opposition never taking a backward step and always having his facts right and submissions well researched.

One of his sayings was that it was once said a particular politician had the brains of an Ass and he replied no he hasn’t.

Bill had a good sense of humour and enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

When Bill was in Auckland once visiting family I arranged for him to meet my good mate Ron who had served extensively as a paratrooper and in Special Forces and Bill told me he had just the best time with Ron at his work place that day.

Bill really enjoyed the company of the lads from the Todd Group and was involved in so many activities.

The odd lad that made unexpected movements during training with Bill felt the effect of his reactions.

I can remember one incident where such a situation ended with Bills knee cleanly finding its target leaving a keen lad doubled over in pain.

Bill was always most apologetic whenever he saw the lad even years later.

Bill was a management accountant with the New Zealand Plunket Society and was very proud of the children’s car safety seats program that he was so actively involved with initiating.

Bill always had my best interests in mind and I can remember an overconfident verging on arrogant young bank clerk having his eras clearly pointed out by Bill and being replaced by the bank manager.

Bill clearly reminded the bank manager that the agreement was not a contract until it was signed and that it was merely a document open to negotiation.

Bill always got me the best deal possible and I learned many sound business practices from him.

Bill always enjoyed showing me the financial books at his home office, where he would go into great detail explaining the reasoning for all the facts and figures.

We conducted a survival and close quarter’s combat course at Long Beach using his holiday home as our base and had some marvelous barbecues there.

The last international close combat instructor’s association convention held in Dunedin was a great time and Bill and Mrs. Hall were our most respected guests.

Just a week before Bill passed away a group of us Todd group members went to Bills home to cut the lawns do some gardening and clean the guttering, we were all so happy to help and wanted everything to be neat and tidy for Bill and Mrs. Hall.

Bill was so thankful and looked forward to getting home.

Bill helped any Todd group member with tax and financial problems always saying don’t worry problems are made to be solved and he always did solve them.

People would ask me when they saw Bill and me together if he was my father and I would say he’s my best Mate.

Whenever I phoned Bill and Mrs. Hall answered the phone and called out to Bill Geoff is on the phone, I would hear his reply Ohh Good and this really made my day.

Whenever Bill and I had to face any major business or personal problems he would say Oh Boy and he would set about solving the problem.

I was always very protective of Bill and so were all his Mates at the Todd Group as we knew how courageous he was and how he would never back down in any conflict and would always stand up for what was right and against what was wrong.

I had to administer some character adjustment once to a bully boy that threatened Bill and make sure he knew categorically never to focus his attentions towards Bill again.

When Mrs. Hall asked me to speak at Bill’s funeral I knew it would be the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do but it was something I wanted to do more than anything.

I can remember the overwhelming emotion and sorrow I felt and I can remember starting out by saying a man without emotion is dangerous and right now I am having difficulty controlling my emotions so please bear with me.

I was determined to show my love respect and loyalty to Bill my best mate and although I remembered afterwards things I had forgotten to say I done my very best.

Mrs. Hall the true lady she is entered the church and turned to everyone and said thank you for coming to Bill’s funeral.

I was so deeply taken by those words from Mrs. Hall, Bills beloved wife of 64 years. It made me remember attending one of their previous wedding anniversaries and how much Bill told me and how often he told me of his love Mrs. Hall.

The Todd group is full of memories of Bill and the good values and responsible behavior he advocated to everyone really made a considerable difference to so many and his legacy will be continued by us who loved and respected him so much.

Many condolences have come in to the Todd Group from military combative instructors that met Bill during their visits to the Todd Group and they all respected and held Bill in the highest regard.

Military Service Tribute Major Fred Daniels retired read out at Bill’s funeral.

Ex-service personnel, family and friends we are gathered here to pay our last respects and tribute to a service man.

NZ427279 Warrant Officer and 075427 Lance Corporal William Edward Hall RNZAF and NZ Army.

Bill served as a volunteer with the 1^st Otago Regiment, and 2^nd Scots Regiment before enlistment at age 20 into the Army on 15 December 1941, where he was selected for special operations training in Australia as part of the 1st Independent Company.

While the New Zealand Army abandoned this type of specialist training almost right away, many of this group after the initial course went on to service with the LRDG, SAS and SBS, however with the pressure on to recruit air crew for service in the United Kingdom, Bill on the 11th of July 1942 opted for this overseas service by transferring to the RNZAF for air crew training in New Zealand. Then on July 18, 1943 he traveled with 123 Air Crew on the troopship Wharton from Wellington New Zealand to San Francisco for advanced training in Canada and in the United Kingdom.

He was eventually posted to No 1 Group Bomber Command, Royal Air Force 626 Squadron as a W.A.G. (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner).

Bill flew on active service and operations over France and Germany, as well as participating in operation Manna which was the air dropping of food over Holland, Belgium and Germany and the recovery back to the United Kingdom of POW’s in the lead up to and immediately after VE Day.

Bill was promoted to the rank of WO2 and although he was recommended three times for a commission, he declined the promotion opportunities.

Bill returned from overseas on the 20th of December 1945 landing at Wellington on the 2NZEF troopship Mooltan together with 207 officers and 2575 OR’s.

He eventually discharged from the RNZAF service after a period of three years 233 days on March 1st 1946.

Bill in 1946 returned to Oamaru joining the North Otago returned serviceman’s Association and then in 1981 he moved to Dunedin and joined the Dunedin R.S.A. and Tin Hat Club.

Bill was a very active R.S.A. member always looking out for the well-being of his comrades and their families especially with in the RNZAF Association, the Brevet Club and the veteran’s community welfare support network of the Dunedin R.S.A.

He was a vocal advocate on matters financial, indeed his voluntary time behind the scenes in the research of the financial issues to provide objective, constructive and concise recommendations, made his appointment to the Dunedin R.S.A. welfare trust, very much a natural consequence between 2001 and 2007. When Bill stepped down as trustee, the presentation of a certificate of appreciation for his services was small recognition of the many financial suggestions directed always towards the benefit of his R.S.A. comrades and their families.

When as president of Grey Power Otago and a long period on the executive committee the award as great powers first Otago life member was well deserved, however it turns out his time in the Grey Power community was also a mirror of his R.S.A. welfare officer activity as we know it today, for Bill voluntarily assisted many Grey Power ex-servicemen and women, with war pension applications and reviews.

He was especially tenacious and his support to those who took part in atomic bomb testing in the Pacific, with close and personal support for those in difficulty with the priority list for surgery at the DHB.

His Grey Power community advocacy coupled with his dedicated fearless single-minded uncompromising approach towards the well-being of his Otago RSA comrades over 27 years, was acknowledged with life membership in 2007, as well as the National RNZRSA merit badge and 30 year Otago and Southland District long service award in May 2012.

For his service to New Zealand Bill was awarded the following campaign and service medals:

The 1939 to 1945 Star.
The France and Germany Star.
The Defence medal.
The War Medal 1939 to 1945.
The New Zealand War Service Medal.

During a time of war, Bill fought a good fight for his country and his friends and we thank God for his steadfastness in adversity, for his courage in the day of battle, and for the memories he is left to us who knew him. And, we pray that we in each succeeding generation in this land, ever keeping the valour of our returned serviceman and servicewoman in proud remembrance, may strive to be worthy of their service overseas and in our land, to the glory of God and the freedom of mankind.

I now take this Poppy Red, that blossoms into beauty but to die, fit symbol of his sacrificial service, to King and country, God and humanity, and I place it where his mortal body rests, in the confident heart that; from the ground there blossoms red, life that will endless be.

Please stand in tribute to an Airman.

We remember before you, O’Lord, and entrust to your keeping those who in time of war have served in defence of justice and freedom.
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun in the morning.
We will remember them.
We will remember them.
We now leave our brother in service in God’s merciful care and commend those who mourn to his compassion.