After a short period working as a junior reporter on local newspapers, he enlisted and served as a signaler in the Royal Navy.
Though taking time out to write a number of books about African history (and its European explorers) Hall remained connected with the Observer for another 10 years.
This, and later concerns about Rowland using the paper for his own interests in reporting about Africa,[1] brought to a head a simmering conflict with long running Observer editor, Donald Trelford, among others.
[3] During the early to mid 1980s Hall also worked as the 'men and matters' columnist for the Financial Times and continued to research and write books about Africa.
He married twice, first to Barbara Hall MBE, a successful journalist and author in her own right and a respected crossword compiler and puzzles editor for the Sunday Times.