Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Korea War pair awarded to Warrant Officer Class 2 W. Hall, King’s Own Scottish Borderers, who was killed in action during “Operation Commando” in Korea on 4 October 1951

Korea 1950-53 (3450280 W. O. Cl. 2 W. Hall, K.O.S.B.); U.N. Korea 1950-54, extremely fine (2) £600-800

Wilfred Hall, who was born in January 1921 in Bury, Lancashire, enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers on the outbreak of war, aged 18 years. In 1941, when he was a Sergeant, he married Jessie Rimmer and in 1944 they had a son. On the outbreak of the Korean War he was recalled to service and was posted to Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh joining the 1st Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers in Hong Kong in early 1951, where he was appointed C.S.M. of ‘B’ Company. He sailed with the Battalion to Korea on 19 April in the U.S.S. Montrose, a specially designed U.S. troop carrying combat ship, and arrived in Pusan on 23 April 1951.

At the end of September 1951, as part of the forthcoming “Operation Commando”, 1/K.O.S.B. moved forward across the Imjin River as part of the U.N. Corps’ plan ‘To close with the enemy and disrupt any plans he might be taking for an autumn offensive’. The Battalion’s objective was the capture of the formidable feature Hill 355. As the Borderers Chronicle reported, ‘The enemy was holding the feature in considerable depth and offered fanatical resistance from well prepared and ingeniously prepared positions. ‘B’ Company commanded by Major Harrison captured Finger Ridge and ordered to consolidate this position and give maximum fire support to the forthcoming assault ... during the night ‘B’ Company was probed by several enemy patrols and C.S.M. Hall was killed. This was a great shock to us as C.S.M. Hall was a very popular figure in the Company and Battalion. He had performed his arduous duties quite unperturbed by fire and with extreme bravery.’ The battle continued for another month during which Private Bill Speakman, also of ‘B’ Company, was awarded the Victoria Cross and the Battalion was awarded the Battle Honour ‘Kowan-San’.

Hall is buried in the U.N. Cemetery Pusan Plot; he never saw his baby daughter who was born after he had landed in Hong Kong; sold with copied research, including a wedding day photograph.