Gregory Hall Passes Away at 78

by Gerald Filton

Brighton News Center,1981- Citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland, and Canada are mourning the loss of a grand hero today. Admiral Gregory Hall, aged 78, passed away in his sleep during the dead of night on August 13th, 1981.

Admiral Gregory Hall was born in Brighton on the year of April 15th, 1903 to loving parents Deborah and Alexander Hall as an only child. Hearing of his grandfather Thomas Hall’s exploits in the Royal Navy, he made it his life’s work to become a sailor like his grandfather. As time would show, he became a natural in the seas and soon became a commissioned officer of the Royal Navy.

Admiral Gregory Hall’s rise to fame arrived during the latter half of the Second World War where the destroyer under his command, the HMS Sheffield, destroyed a remnant of the Imperial Japanese Navy Fleet stationed near Taiwan. attempting to cut off resupply from American Forces within the Home Islands following the initial offensives of Operation Downfall. Most of the fleet were occupied within the Yellow Sea to counter attempts at reinforcing the Home Islands from the Japanese Naval Base in Taiwan, leaving the HMS Sheffield to bravely hold off multiple destroyers and frigates for several hours as its own reinforcements arrived. His actions allowed the United States to force the Emperor, Hirohito of Japan, to the bargaining table and the eventual formation of the Imperial Republic of Japan.

After the War, Admiral Hall retired to his family home in Brighton, supporting local British Politics as much as he could. Denying any notion of actually running for political office, Admiral Hall always said he was a “Sailor, not a speaker”. Despite certain medical setbacks that had limited him to bed for most of his elderly life, he still made the effort to speak to newly enlisted sailors whenever possible.

One thing he always wished to do was write fantastical stories but never had the time to do so as the majority of his able-bodied life entailed his duties to the crown. The Empire will sorely miss this Hero, for he is now patrolling the seas of Heaven.