posted May 31, 2010 03:37 PM               

My sincerest condolences to Lynn.

posted May 31, 2010 04:07 PM               

My sincerest condolences to all his family.

Paul C.

posted May 31, 2010 04:21 PM               

God bless,

posted May 31, 2010 05:01 PM               

Granted in terms of space research, I am still feeling my way. I've got good research on the NASA side, but Rex Hall's books are almost required reading for anything Soviet or Russian related.

posted May 31, 2010 06:46 PM            

I have enjoyed and thrilled at the writings of Rex since I was a boy, back in the early eighties - his writings added mystique to the Soviet programme, at the same time as lifting the veil. His book, written with Mr. Dave Shayler, "The Rocket Men" is a classic. His other works are all invaluable contributions to the recording of the history of Soviet piloted spaceflight.

My most sincere condolences to his family, friends and fellow members of the BIS to whom he was, and always will be, immeasurable.

posted May 31, 2010 07:21 PM               

I recall with great fondness the fun-filled evenings he, Lynn and I shared in their London home, talking our heads off while devouring parcels of kebabs and chips, washed down with a fine Aussie red wine. We would then go into his study, which was jammed solid with books, magazines, videos, DVDs and albums choking with autographed photos and letters. Lynn has been of such stoicism and support during Rex's protracted illness that I can only express my complete admiration for her at this sad time. I wish I could be there. As mentioned elsewhere, I too would always receive a lovely card for each birthday and Christmas from Rex and Lynn. It was a lovely gesture from a wonderful couple.

When Rex and I first began to discuss co-authoring our book, "The First Soviet Cosmonaut Team," he thought I should be the sole author, but said he would support me in any way possible. I knew this was a difficult time for Rex, not only due to his constant, physically and emotionally draining trips to the hospital, but he was always on the move, promoting spaceflight across the country and setting up guests for Autographica shows. However this facet of Soviet space history has always intrigued Rex, and he finally came on board, much to my delight. He would prove a veritable fount of information and material. Hardly a week would pass without a package arriving in the post, filled with clippings, photocopies of archived articles, and rare, original photographs. He was a wonderful person to work with, and it is such a pleasure today to look at this book and know that he was immensely proud to be a part of it.

In the book, Rex explained how he first came to be interested in spaceflight history, which I'd love to share with you today.

It was in the summer of 1961 that a Soviet touring exhibition came to London, and being swept up in all the excitement of the early days of the so-called Space Race I decided to attend. One of the exhibition's centrepieces was a full-scale representation of a spacecraft, duly marked as a Vostok vehicle. It was in fact Sputnik 3, but the organisers were giving away a small Novosti booklet on the Soviet space programme which I eagerly accepted. I was hooked.

Vale, Rex. I will miss you, but I will always remember you.

posted May 31, 2010 09:18 PM               

But his true love, and the true measure of Rex Hall, was his work with disadvantaged children for which he received the MBE. I could type all night about his efforts for them, and a lot of our exchanges were about that.

We had tried (in vain) to set up a sort of compendium to introduce children to space, but the laws between the two countries (and more in Europe and Russia) made it not only problematic but near impossible to form a what would be a 501(c)(3) in the US. Without that donations were impossible.

Not only has this hobby lost a giant, but the children of London have lost a giant and hero.

And I and some others, have lost a dear dear friend. But I, and the world, have been a much better place for Rex Hall having been in it and our lives.

posted June 01, 2010 01:57 AM               

Our deepest sympathies

posted June 01, 2010 03:09 AM              

GOD BLESS REX... we will pray tomorrow for Rex soul in Russian church.

My deep condolences to Rex family,

posted June 01, 2010 03:39 AM               

Although I had not known Rex for as long as many of those who have posted already, I met him many times, usually at his home, but occasionally at BIS events, when I was in London, or over a beer.

I first contacted Rex about 10 years ago, when I ‘cold called’ him by e-mail, seeking information on a particular aspect of the Soviet cosmonaut team of the 1960’s. I was immediately struck by the warmth and helpfulness of his response, traits which were to characterise our friendship over the next few years. Within a few weeks of that initial contact, I visited Rex’s home and was staggered by the extent of his collection of books, photographs, magazines and cuttings, with the meticulous filing system that enabled him to find anything in a few moments.

I have happy memories of spending many subsequent hours in Rex’s study browsing his collection, picking his brains, or just listening to his anecdotes about his visits to Star City and his meetings with the cosmonauts who had been his heroes in the 1960’s and 1970’s who he could now call good friends.

We exchanged many hundreds of e-mails down the years; sometimes just a quick ‘hello’ but more often to sound each other out on some new sleuthing discovery. He still got great pleasure out of finding a previously unknown photograph, or piece of information, no matter how small, and he could usually identify some detail or aspect which had been missed by the less trained eye.

In recent years we had worked together on digging out unpublished information on the Chinese manned programme. Indeed, over the last few weeks, we had been working together on assembling details of the currently secret identities of some of the people in the second taikonaut selection, from often tiny fragments of information in the Chinese media. I’m pretty sure that we had it cracked. Sadly, now, poor Rex will never know.

I am truly proud, and honoured, to have been able to call Rex a friend, and to have had my enjoyment and knowledge of our hobby enriched and enhanced by that friendship.

While Rex leaves an enormous legacy in the form of the magnificent books, through which he shared his knowledge, discoveries and experiences, his passing also leaves an immeasurable gap in our hobby and in so many peoples’ lives.

Rest in Peace, my friend.

Sincerest condolences to Lynn, and their wider circle of family, and friends.

posted June 01, 2010 07:17 AM               

You are already missed, Rex !!!

posted June 01, 2010 07:22 AM               

Everyone that knew Rex didn't have a bad word about him, you couldn't If you wanted any help (if possible) on anything on the Russians space programme with time he'd help you out.

I met him at many Autographica, the 1st when the two Al's were there along with Gibson, Weitz and Yuri Usachev.

Yuri was the 1st guest we met, over the course of the day my daughter dropped a couple of Yuri's mission sticker that he'd given her. She was upset over the loss, I emailed Rex hoping he had a spare one knocking about the following day.

Not only did Rex post the stickers to Alice (signed by Yuri) he got Yuri before his flight back to Russia to sign a couple of cards/photos for her as well. It was only a small thing for my daughter but I never forgot what he did.

My biggest regret is though no fault of his self was not getting to meet him again at the last few Autographica shows...

posted June 01, 2010 01:32 PM            

R.I.P. my friend

and condolences to your wife.

posted June 02, 2010 09:14 AM               

For me a “.” Isn’t sufficient for this great man

Rex was a personal friend, as is his wife Lynn, and it is a great shock to everyone that he has passed away. I was, and still am stunned by this. My family and I will support Lynn as we can.

Rex was a warm person, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of manned spaceflight. An acknowledged expert on the soviet space program, Rex was actually very well versed with the US space program and those of the Chinese too. Rex had an infectious enthusiasm for the subject of space that anyone speaking to him or listening to him was always touched by. He was a very humble man, never courting the limelight. He was held in high respect by all who knew him both in the amateur space community and those in the professional fields.

As someone earlier mentioned, Rex had some great tales to tell of actual events, his anecdotes will stay with me forever, as will the times we spent at his home.

He told me one story of how he was at GCTC in Star City and when he got there, he happened upon a simulator exercise going on at the time. When the 3 cosmonauts saw Rex on their spacecraft monitor, they paused, waved and said “Hi Rex”.

I have spoken to Lynn, his wife, and she wanted to thank everyone for their words of support.

I will miss Rex so much, he will never be forgotten, nor resigned to history. Rex’s spirit will live on and future generations will come to know what an amazing contribution he made to our world, both in the space field and in education. Rex actually proposed me for my Fellowship of the British Interplanetary Society, a great honour.

Also, I would like to instigate and organise an annual “Rex Hall Memorial Lecture” each year from now, on an aspect of Cosmonautics and Astronautics in his memory.