Sir John Hathorn Hall (19 June 189417 June 1979) was a British colonial administrator. During World War I, he served with the 8th Royal Munster Fusiliers and the 27th Infantry Brigade, rising to the rank of captain,[1] and was awarded the Military Cross as well as the Belgian Croix de Guerre. He worked in the Ministry of Finance of the Egyptian Civil Service (Egypt then being a British protectorate) in 1919 - 1920. Subsequently he served in the Middle East Department of the Colonial Office and was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours List of 1931.[2]
In 1927, Hall married Torfrida Trevenen Mills.[3] In 1933, he was appointed Chief Secretary to the Government of Palestine (then a British Mandate under the League of Nations).[4] On at least two occasions, in 1934 and in 1937, he served as Officer Administering the Government of Palestine during absences of the High Commissioner for Palestine.[5] [6]
His later service included the following posts:
Sir John was awarded the GCMG in the New Year's Honours List of 1950. After retiring from the colonial service, Sir John became a director of several companies, including the P&O and British India steamship lines, and the Midland Bank. A portrait of Sir John by Walter Bird is now part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.[10]