diff --git a/include/common/memory.h b/include/common/memory.h
index 66f789e25..835d79df0 100644
--- a/include/common/memory.h
+++ b/include/common/memory.h
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ void pool_gc2();
  * This function destroys a pull by freeing it completely.
  * This should be called only under extreme circumstances.
  */
-void pool_destroy2(struct pool_head *pool);
+void *pool_destroy2(struct pool_head *pool);
 
 /*
  * Returns a pointer to type <type> taken from the
diff --git a/src/haproxy.c b/src/haproxy.c
index 4e22e1920..a86abeb31 100644
--- a/src/haproxy.c
+++ b/src/haproxy.c
@@ -203,6 +203,7 @@ void usage(char *name)
 void sig_soft_stop(int sig)
 {
 	soft_stop();
+	pool_gc2();
 	signal(sig, SIG_IGN);
 }
 
@@ -212,6 +213,7 @@ void sig_soft_stop(int sig)
 void sig_pause(int sig)
 {
 	pause_proxies();
+	pool_gc2();
 	signal(sig, sig_pause);
 }
 
@@ -318,6 +320,7 @@ void sig_int(int sig)
 	   0 GRACE time
 	*/
 	fast_stop();
+	pool_gc2();
 	/* If we are killed twice, we decide to die*/
 	signal(sig, SIG_DFL);
 }
@@ -330,6 +333,7 @@ void sig_term(int sig)
 	   0 GRACE time
 	*/
 	fast_stop();
+	pool_gc2();
 	/* If we are killed twice, we decide to die*/
 	signal(sig, SIG_DFL);
 }
@@ -580,7 +584,7 @@ void init(int argc, char **argv)
 
 void deinit(void)
 {
-	struct proxy *p = proxy;
+	struct proxy *p = proxy, *p0;
 	struct cap_hdr *h,*h_next;
 	struct server *s,*s_next;
 	struct listener *l,*l_next;
@@ -654,7 +658,9 @@ void deinit(void)
 	
 		pool_destroy2(p->req_cap_pool);
 		pool_destroy2(p->rsp_cap_pool);
+		p0 = p;
 		p = p->next;
+		free(p0);
 	}/* end while(p) */
     
 	if (global.chroot)    free(global.chroot);
diff --git a/src/memory.c b/src/memory.c
index 589d1d270..800922714 100644
--- a/src/memory.c
+++ b/src/memory.c
@@ -103,6 +103,9 @@ void *pool_refill_alloc(struct pool_head *pool)
 void pool_flush2(struct pool_head *pool)
 {
 	void *temp, *next;
+	if (!pool)
+		return;
+
 	next = pool->free_list;
 	while (next) {
 		temp = next;
@@ -141,11 +144,15 @@ void pool_gc2()
 /*
  * This function destroys a pull by freeing it completely.
  * This should be called only under extreme circumstances.
+ * It always returns NULL, easing the clearing of the old pointer.
  */
-void pool_destroy2(struct pool_head *pool)
+void *pool_destroy2(struct pool_head *pool)
 {
-	pool_flush2(pool);
-	FREE(pool);
+	if (pool) {
+		pool_flush2(pool);
+		FREE(pool);
+	}
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 /* Dump statistics on pools usage.
diff --git a/src/proxy.c b/src/proxy.c
index dd7f993e3..7d4b2ec08 100644
--- a/src/proxy.c
+++ b/src/proxy.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include <common/defaults.h>
 #include <common/compat.h>
 #include <common/config.h>
+#include <common/memory.h>
 #include <common/time.h>
 
 #include <types/global.h>
@@ -230,6 +231,8 @@ void maintain_proxies(struct timeval *next)
 						listeners--;
 					}
 					p->state = PR_STSTOPPED;
+					/* try to free more memory */
+					pool_gc2();
 				}
 				else {
 					tv_bound(next, &p->stop_time);