Abel Walker Hall was an American missionary serving the Assemblies of God. Hall and his wife, Nell married in 1936 and set sail for China on Christmas Day of the same year. They arrived in Hong Kong and later pioneered a church in Tai Po Market. By December 1941, the Halls had two sons, Arlin, aged 3 and Cecil, a baby only six weeks old. Both children were born in Hong Kong.
On 8 December 1941, Japanese forces had attacked Hong Kong and crossed the border into the New Territories. On the same day, A. W. Hall was to have received his ordination. As Tai Po Market was in the direct path of Japanese troops, the Halls had to hurriedly leave for Kowloon and stay with other missionaries.
After Hong Kong had fallen, the Halls were interned in one room in the Kowloon Hotel together with the Park family, who were also missionaries, prior to their removal to Stanley Internment Camp. The Hall family was repatriated to the United States in 1942.
A. W. Hall and his wife later returned to Hong Kong where they started and operated Wa Wai kindergartens and churches until retiring in 1980.
Sources and Further Reading:
1. The Assemblies of God Heritage Magazine (Winter 1991) has an article on "Missionaries Caught in the Crossfire" in Hong Kong during the Japanese invasion. Hall and their fellow missionaries are mentioned, including photos of themselves on board the exchange ship "Gripsholm". See here
2. Obituary of Nell Hall: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/nell-hall-obituary?id=27306850