Lang Syne English Family Information History Fact Book - Hall

A name popularised throughout the British Isles in the convulsive aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066, ‘Hall’ originally denoted someone who worked in, or near, the household of a wealthy landowner.

Subsequent bearers of the name have stamped an indelible mark on the historical record.

One particularly brave bearer was Virginia Hall, born in 1906 in Maryland and recognised as having been America’s greatest female spy.

Despite having had one of her legs amputated from the knee down following a hunting accident, it was following America’s entry into the Second World War that she joined Britain’s clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE).

Parachuted into France to work with the French Resistance and with her movements constantly dogged by the Gestapo, she nevertheless survived and went on to become the recipient of a number of honours and awards.

Her tale, along with those of other bearers of the Hall name, is recounted here.

Book Dimensions 10 × 0.4 × 14.5 cm