Born on the 11th March 1908, the birth being
registered  during the June quarter 1908 in the
Ashton under Lyne R.D. - ref: 8d/564, the eldest
son of Samuel & Jane Hallas.

1911 Census - 6 Castle St reet, Newton, Hyde,
Cheshire.    Son - aged: 3 - born: Newton,
Cheshire.     Head of household - Samuel Hallas -
Married - aged: 30 - occ: Hatter's Labourer -
born: Cheshworth, Derbyshire.     Also Jane Hallas
- Wife - aged: 28 - born: Hyde  Plus 1 younger
sibling.

Married Mary Hadfield during the September quarter
1936 in the Stockport R.D. - ref: 8a/53.

A teacher of Gymnastics at the Hyde Lads' Club.

1939 National Registration - 11 Balmoral Avenue,
Hyde.   James T. Hallas - Married - Born: 11th
March 1908 - occ: Warehouseman Cloth Examiner
(Heavy Worker) & Full Time Hyde Auxiiary Fire
Service.   Mary Hallas - Married - Born: 29th May
1911 - occ: Felt Hat Trimmer.

In an interview his widow stated that:- "James had
only just returned from Coventry and on the night
of the 22nd/23rd he was on duty up in the tower of
the North's Factory at Hyde when the town was
bombed - 6 people kiiled on Church Street and 2 on
Tower Street.    The following night, (the 2nd
night of the Blitz), he was sent down to Trafford
Park.    She was informed the following day that
James was fighting one of many fires when an H.E.
exploded nearby and killed him.   When his body
was discovered, he also had a machine gun bullet
in the back of his neck." 

CWD Report No.98.    Died as a result of blast and
splinters somewhere in Trafford Park, from where
his body was recovered at 16.30 hrs on the 24th
December 1940 and taken to the Church Street
Mortuary, Stretford.   His body was identified by
his brother-in-Law - Frank Hampson, 13 Balmoral
Avenue, Hyde. and released for burial to E.
Fowden, Hammett Street, Hyde.

The story given by his widow - Mary Hallas is
that:- The local undertaker - Mr. Poole along with
some people from the Fire Station went down to
Stretford to recover his body.  They eventually
found his body at 4.00 pm on Christmas Day, simply
because so many had been killed it had been put,
along with many others, in a cinema at Sale -
presumably, the old Savoy Cinema on Ashfield Road
which was close to Sale Police Station. .  It is
fortunate that they did so otherwise he might have
ended up in the communal grave in Stretford
Cemetery. 

Death registered in Stretford Borough.   Buried at
Hyde Cemetery on 28/12/1940.    CWGC - Fireman,
A.F.S. of 11 castle Street, Hyde.  Husband of Mary
Hallas.  Died at Trafford Park.

Mary Hallas received a pension of 15/- per week,
in consequence she was unable to keep up the
payments on the house that she and James were
buying and had to move in with her sister.  Not
only did she lose her husband, she lost her home
as well.

Mary married John F. Fletcher in 1948.