Albert Ball
Encyclopedia
Albert Ball VC
, DSO
& Two Bars
, MC
(14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was an English fighter pilot
of the First World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British
or Commonwealth
armed forces. At the time of his death he was, with forty-four victories, the United Kingdom's leading flying ace
, and remained its fourth-highest scorer behind Edward Mannock
, James McCudden
, and George McElroy
. Raised in Nottingham
, Ball joined the Sherwood Foresters
at the outbreak of the First World War and was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in October 1914. He learnt to fly in his spare time and gained his pilot's licence in October 1915. Transferred to the Royal Flying Corps
(RFC), he undertook training at Central Flying School
, where he was awarded his wings
on 26 January 1916.
In February 1916, Ball joined No. 13 Squadron RFC in France, flying reconnaissance missions before being posted in May to No. 11 Squadron, a fighter unit. From then until his return to England on leave in October, he accrued many aerial victories, earning two Distinguished Service Order
s and the Military Cross
. He became the first British fighter ace to capture the public's imagination. During his rest period he became engaged, but was soon anxious for a return to action. He was posted to No. 56 Squadron
, which deployed to the Western Front in April 1917. Ball continued his record of victories until his final flight on 7 May, when he crashed to his death in a field in France while pursuing the Red Baron's brother, Lothar von Richthofen
. During the engagement he managed to force von Richthofen to the ground, but soon after emerged from a cloud bank upside down and crashed before he could recover. The Germans buried him in Annœullin
, with full honours.
Ball's death was reported around the world. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, and also honoured by the government of France and the Aero Club of America
. A memorial service in his home town of Nottingham was attended by large crowds. The year after his death he was commemorated in a biography that included tributes from Prime Minister David Lloyd George
, Field Marshal Douglas Haig
and General Hugh Trenchard
. Ball's father, a former mayor of Nottingham, memorialised his son in several ways, buying the field where he died, improving his gravesite in Annœullin
, and building homes in his honour. Ball is also commemorated by a statue and plaque in the grounds of Nottingham Castle
, where his Victoria Cross and other medals and memoriabilia are displayed.
. After a series of moves to houses throughout Lenton, his family settled at Sedgley, 43 Lenton Road. His parents were Albert Ball
, a successful businessman who rose in status from plumber to Lord Mayor of Nottingham
, and who was later knighted
, and Harriett Mary Page. Young Albert had two siblings, a brother and a sister. His parents were considered loving and indulgent. In his youth, Ball had his own small hut behind the family house where he tinkered with engines and electrical equipment. He was raised with a knowledge of firearms, and conducted target practice in Sedgleys gardens. Possessed of keen vision, he soon became a crack shot. He was also deeply religious.
Ball studied at the Lenton Church School, Grantham Grammar School
and Nottingham High School
before transferring to Trent College
in January 1911, at the age of fourteen. As a student he displayed only average ability, but was able to develop his curiosity for things mechanical. His best subjects were carpentry, modelling, violin and photography. He also served in the Officers Training Corps
. When Albert left school in December 1913 at the age of seventeen, his father helped him start a business called Universal Engineering Works in a building next door to the family home.
, joining the 2/7th (Robin Hood) Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
. Soon promoted to sergeant
, he gained his commission as a second lieutenant
on 29 October. He was assigned to training recruits, but this rear-echelon role irked him. In an attempt to see action, he transferred early the following year to the North Midland Cyclist Company, Divisional Mounted Troops, but remained confined to a posting in England. On 24 February 1915, he wrote to his parents, "I have just sent five boys to France, and I hear that they will be in the firing line on Monday. It is just my luck to be unable to go."
While still in the Cyclist Company, Ball decided to take private flying lessons at Hendon
, where his interest in engineering could find an outlet, and possibly help him to see action in France sooner. Beginning in June 1915, he paid to undertake pilot training in his own time at the Ruffy-Baumann School, which charged £75 to £100 for instruction (£5,580 to £7,440 in 2010 prices). He would wake at 3:00am to ride his Harley-Davidson
motorcycle to Ruffy-Baumann and get in some flying at dawn, before beginning his daily military duty at 6:45am. His training at Ruffy-Baumann was not unique; Edwin Cole
was learning to fly there at the same time. In letters home Ball recorded that he found flying "great sport", and displayed what General Peter de la Billière
, in Supreme Courage, called "almost brutal" detachment regarding accidents suffered by his fellow trainees:
certificate no. 1898 on 15 October 1915, and promptly requested transfer to the Royal Flying Corps
(RFC). He was seconded to No. 9 (Reserve) Squadron RFC on 23 October, and trained at Mousehold Heath aerodrome near Norwich
. In the first week of December, he soloed in a Maurice Farman Longhorn
after standing duty all night, and his touchdown was rough. When his instructor commented sarcastically on the landing, Ball lost his temper and angrily exclaimed that he had only fifteen minutes experience in the plane, and that if this was the best instruction he was going to get, he would rather return to his old unit. The instructor relented, and Ball then soloed again and landed successfully in a series of five consecutive flights. This rough landing was not the last Ball was involved in, however; he survived two others. Completing his training at Central Flying School
, Upavon, he was awarded his wings
on 22 January 1916. He was officially seconded from the North Midland Cyclist Company to the RFC as a pilot on 29 January.
On 18 February 1916, Ball joined No. 13 Squadron RFC at Marieux
in France, flying a two-seater Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c on reconnaissance missions. He occasionally flew the squadron's single-seat Bristol Scout
, preferring the freedom of independent operations that this gave him. It was while flying the B.E.2 that Ball fought his first combat. On 29 March, he swooped on a German two-seater; Lieutenant S.A. Villiers—Ball's observer fired a drum and a half of Lewis Gun
ammunition at the enemy aircraft. In turn, a second German plane swooped on Ball's machine and his two foes were able to dive away. After this inconclusive skirmish, Ball wrote home in one of his many letters, "I like this job, but nerves do not last long, and you soon want a rest".
Throughout his flying service he was primarily a "lone-wolf" pilot, carefully stalking his prey from below until he drew close enough to use his top-wing Lewis gun on its Foster mounting
, angled to fire upwards into the enemy's fuselage. According to fellow ace and Victoria Cross
recipient James McCudden
, "it was quite a work of art to pull this gun down and shoot upwards, and at the same time manage one's machine accurately". Ball generally attacked on sight, and heedless of the odds. Alan Clark
, in Aces High: The War in the Air Over the Western Front, found Ball the "perfect public schoolboy" with "the enthusiasms and all the eager intelligence of that breed" and that these characteristics, coupled with a lack of worldly maturity, were "the ingredients of a perfect killer, where a smooth transition can be made between the motives that drive a boy to 'play hard' at school and then to 'fight hard' against the King’s enemies". Biographer Chaz Bowyer, however, considered that "to label Albert Ball a 'killer' would be to do him a grave injustice", as his "sensitive nature suffered in immediate retrospect whenever he succeeded in combat". For his part, Ball felt no hatred for his opponents, writing to his parents "I only scrap because it is my duty... Nothing makes me feel more rotten than to see them go down, but you see it is either them or me, so I must do my duty best to make it a case of them".
s, and Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
b "pushers". After his first day of flying with his new unit, he wrote a letter home complaining about fatigue. He was unhappy with the hygiene of his assigned billet in the nearest village, and elected to live in a tent on the flight line. Later he built a hut to replace the tent, reasoning that it was better to be closer to his aeroplane. This was a habit that Ball was to repeat throughout his military career. He was as much a loner on the ground as in the air, preferring to stay in his hut on the flight line away from other squadron members. His off-duty hours were spent tending his small garden and practising the violin. While not unsociable per se, he was extremely sensitive and shy. Ball acted as his own mechanic on his aircraft and, as a consequence, was often untidy and dishevelled. His singularity in dress extended to his habit of flying without a helmet and goggles, and he wore his thick black hair longer than regulations generally permitted.
While flying Bristol Scout on 16 May 1916, Ball scored his first aerial victory, driving down a German reconnaissance plane. He then switched to Nieuports, bringing down two LVG
s on 29 May and a Fokker Eindecker
on 1 June. On 25 June he became an ace
and a balloon buster
by destroying an observation balloon with phosphor
bombs. During the month he had written to his parents admonishing them to try and "take it well" if he was killed, "for men tons better than I go in hundreds every day". He again achieved two victories in one sortie
on 2 July, shooting down a Roland C.II
and an Aviatik
to bring his score to seven. After requesting a few days off, Ball was, to his dismay, temporarily reassigned to aerial reconnaissance with No. 8 Squadron, where he flew B.E.2s from 18 July until 14 August. During this posting, Ball undertook an unusual mission. On the evening of 28 July, he flew a French espionage agent across enemy lines. Dodging an attack by three German fighters, as well as anti-aircraft fire, he landed in a deserted field, only to find that the agent refused to get out of the aircraft. While he was on reconnaissance duties, the London Gazette
announced that he had been awarded the Military Cross
"for conspicuous skill and gallantry on many occasions," particularly for "one occasion [when] he attacked six in one flight".
Ball's twentieth birthday was marked by his promotion to temporary captain and his return to No. 11 Squadron. He destroyed three Roland C.IIs in one sortie on 22 August 1916, becoming the first RFC pilot credited with such an achievement. He ended the day by fighting fourteen Germans some 15 miles (24.1 km) behind their lines. With his plane badly damaged and out of fuel, he struggled back to Allied lines to land. He then transferred with part of No. 11 Squadron to No. 60 Squadron RFC
on 23 August. His new commanding officer gave Ball a free rein to fly solo missions, and assigned him his own personal aircraft and maintenance crew. One of the squadron mechanics painted up a non-standard red propeller boss; A201 became the first of a series of Ball's airplanes to have such a colour scheme. He found that it helped his fellow squadron members identify his plane and confirm his combat claims. By end of the month, he had increased his tally to seventeen enemy aircraft, including three on 28 August. He then took leave in England. While he had been in France, his feats had received considerable publicity. He was the first British ace to become a household name, and found that his celebrity was such that he could not walk down the streets of Nottingham without being stopped and congratulated. Prior to this the British government had suppressed the names of its aces—in contrast to the policy of the French and Germans—but the losses of the Battle of the Somme, which had commenced in July, made politic the publicising of its successes in the air. Ball's achievements had a profound impact on budding flyer Mick Mannock, who eventually became the United Kingdom's top-scoring ace with sixty-one victories and was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Returning to No. 60 Squadron in France, Ball scored morning and evening victories on 15 September, flying two different Nieuports. On the evening mission, he armed his plane with eight Le Prieur rockets on the outer struts, set to fire electrically. He intended to use them on an observation balloon. However, when he spotted three German Roland C.IIs, he broke their formation by salvoing his rockets at them, then picked off one of the confused pilots with machine-gun fire. After this he settled in an improved aeroplane, Nieuport 17
no. A213. He had it rigged to fly tail-heavy, and had a holster built into the cockpit for the Colt automatic that he habitually carried. Three times during September he scored triple victories in a day, ending the month with his total score standing at thirty-one, making him Britain's top-scoring ace. By this time he had told his commanding officer that he had to have a rest and that he was taking unnecessary risks because of his nerves. On 3 October, he was sent on leave, en route to a posting at the Home Establishment in England.
(DSO) and bar
simultaneously on 26 September 1916. The first award was "for conspicuous gallantry and skill" which saw Ball take on two enemy formations. The bar was also "for conspicuous skill and gallantry" when he attacked four enemy aircraft in formation, and then on another occasion, twelve enemy machines. He was awarded the Russian Order of St. George
the same month. Now that Ball had been posted back to England, he expected a quiet spell of family leave for rest and recuperation. Instead, he was lionised as a national hero with a reputation as a fearless pilot and expert marksman. A crowd of journalists awaited him on his family's doorstep. In an interview, he mentioned being downed six times in combat. On 18 November, he was invested with his Military Cross and both DSOs by King George V
at Buckingham Palace
. A second bar to the DSO followed on 25 November, making him the first three-time recipient of the award. Ball was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant on 8 December.
Instead of returning to combat after his leave, Ball was posted to instructional duties with No. 34 (Reserve) Squadron, based at Orford Ness
, Suffolk. It was while serving on the home front that he became involved in the design of an aircraft known as the Austin-Ball A.F.B.1
.
In a letter home during April 1916, he had described plans for a new fighter plane, "a most wonderful machine... heaps better than the Hun Fokker". The "wonderful machine" has often been identified with the Austin-Ball, but it is more likely that there is little or no connection between the two. Among other considerations, the A.F.B.1 was specifically designed for the Hispano-Suiza
engine, which was not available in production form in Britain until August 1916.
In any case, Ball visited the Austin
works in December 1916, and was consulted about aspects of the design of the proposed A.F.B.1. The disposition of the armament, and the excellent view from the cockpit, are cited as bearing the hallmark of advice from an experienced fighter pilot. In particular, one of the aircraft's two Lewis guns was mounted on the top wing in Ball's preferred location, although the prototype as completed in July 1917, two months after his death, lacked his favourite Foster mounting. Apart from rather poor lateral control, reports of the A.F.B.1's performance and flying characteristics were excellent, but by this time the S.E.5a was already in production (Austin was a major contractors for the S.E.5a) and all supplies of Hispano-Suiza engines in Britain were required for this program, so that the "Ball Fighter" never went into mass production.
On 19 February 1917, in a tribute from his native city, Ball became an Honorary Freeman of Nottingham. It was around this time that he met James McCudden, also on leave. McCudden wrote in his diary that he was "much impressed by this keen-eyed pilot with his determined jaw... And what a splendid example he has set. I knew very well that when he went back to France no man was more likely to win a Victoria Cross. In London Ball also encountered Canadian pilot Billy Bishop
, who had not as yet seen combat. Ball immediately liked Bishop, and may have helped the latter secure a posting to his old unit, No. 60 Squadron. The two were soon to become friendly rivals, with Bishop keen to be "at least second best" in aerial victories; he was eventually credited with seventy-two, and awarded the Victoria Cross. On 25 March, while off-duty, Ball met 18-year-old Flora Young. He impulsively invited her to fly with him, and she promptly accepted. They borrowed a leather flying coat for her, and took off. On 5 April, they became engaged; she wore his silver identification wrist bracelet in lieu of an engagement ring.
Inaction chafed Ball, and he began agitating for a return to combat duty. He finally managed to acquire a posting as a flight commander with No. 56 Squadron RFC
, the first to be equipped with the new S.E.5 scout, and considered to be as close to an elite unit as any established by the RFC. Still first among Britain's aces, Ball had been slated to serve with the squadron for only a month to mentor novice pilots. He was still far from happy with the qualities of the S.E.5, and was allowed to retain his Nieuport 17 no. B1522 when the unit went to France; the Nieuport was for his solo missions, and he would fly an S.E.5 on patrols with the rest of the squadron. This arrangement had the personal approval of General Hugh Trenchard
who went on to become the first Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force
. No. 56 Squadron moved to the Western Front on 7 April 1917. On arrival Ball wrote to his parents, "Cheero, am just about to start the great game again".
S.E.5 no. A4850, fresh from its packing crate, was extensively modified for Ball: in particular he had the synchronised Vickers machine-gun removed, to be replaced with a second Lewis Gun fitted to fire downwards through the floor of the cockpit. He also had a slightly larger fuel tank installed. Ball's aircraft was easy to recognise, since he had a red propeller boss from a German LVG that he had shot down fitted to his plane. However, on 9 April, A4850 was refitted, and the downward-firing Lewis gun was removed, to be replaced by the reinstatement of the normal Vickers gun mounting. In a letter to Flora Young on 18 April, Ball mentioned getting his own hut on the flight line, and installing the members of his flight nearby.
On 23 April 1917, Ball was under strict orders to stay over British lines, but still engaged the Germans five times in his Nieuport. In his first combat that day, using his preferred belly shot, he sent an Albatros into a spin, following it down and continuing to fire at it until it struck the ground. It was the No. 56 Squadron's first "kill". Regaining an altitude of 5000 feet (1,524 m), he tried to dive underneath an Albatros two-seater and pop up under its belly as he was wont to do. However he overshot, and the German rear gunner put a burst of 15 bullets through the Nieuport's wings and spars. Ball limped the Nieuport home for repairs, returning to battle in an S.E.5. In his third combat of the day, he fired five rounds before his machine gun jammed. After landing to clear the gun, he took off once more, surprising five Albatros fighters and sending one down in flames. His fifth battle, shortly thereafter, appeared inconclusive, as the enemy plane managed to land safely. However, its observer had been mortally wounded.
Three days later, on 26 April, Ball scored another double victory, flying S.E.5 no. A4850, and one more on 28 April. This last day's fighting left the S.E.5 so battered by enemy action that it was dismantled and sent away for repair. The following month, despite continual problems with jamming guns in the S.E.5s, Ball shot down seven Albatroses in five days, including two reconnaissance models on 1 May, a reconnaissance plane and a D.III
fighter on 2 May; a D.III on 4 May, and two D.IIIs the following day. The last of these victims nearly rammed him in a head-on firing pass, and Ball flew his seriously damaged plane home in an advanced state of nervousness.
While squadron armourers and mechanics repaired the faulty machine-gun synchronizer on his most recent S.E.5 mount, A8898, Ball had been sporadically flying the Nieuport again, and was successful with it on 6 May, destroying one more Albatros D.III in an evening flight to raise his tally to forty-four. He had continued to undertake his habitual lone patrols, but had of late been fortunate to survive. The heavier battle damage that Ball's aircraft were now suffering bore witness to the improved team tactics being developed by his German opponents. Sometime on 6 May, Ball also visited his friend Billy Bishop at the latter's aerodrome. Ball proposed that the pair attack the Red Baron's squadron at its airfield at dawn, catching the German pilots off guard. Bishop agreed to take part in the daring scheme at the end of the month, after he returned from his forthcoming leave. That night, in his last letter to his father, Ball wrote "I do get tired of always living to kill, and am really beginning to feel like a murderer. Shall be so pleased when I have finished".
, eleven British aircraft from No. 56 Squadron led by Ball in an S.E.5 encountered German fighters from Jasta 11. A running dogfight in deteriorating visibility resulted, and the aircraft became scattered. Cecil Arthur Lewis
, a participant in this fight, described it in his memoir Sagittarius Rising. Ball was last seen by fellow pilots pursuing the red Albatros D.III of the Red Baron's younger brother, Lothar von Richthofen
, who eventually landed near Annoeullin with a punctured fuel tank. Ball's squadron-mate Cyril Crowe
observed Ball flying into a dark thundercloud. A German pilot officer on the ground, Lieutenant Hailer, then saw Ball's plane falling upside-down from the bottom of the cloud, at an altitude of 200 feet (61 m), with a dead prop. Hailer and his three companions hurried to the crash site.
Richthofen was credited by the Germans with shooting Ball down; however there is some doubt as to what happened, especially as Richthofen's claim was for a Sopwith Triplane
, not an S.E.5, which was a biplane. Given the amount of propaganda the German high command generated touting the younger von Richthofen, a high-level decision may have been taken to credit Ball's death to him. It is possible that Ball was not shot down at all, but had become disoriented and lost control during his final combat, the victim of a form of temporary vertigo
that has claimed other pilots. He was pulled from the wreckage by a young French woman, but died at the scene from injuries suffered in the crash. A German doctor later described a broken back and a crushed chest, along with fractured limbs. Ball's squadron harboured hopes that he was a prisoner of war, and the British government officially listed him as "missing" on 18 May. There was much speculation in the press; in France, the Havas
news agency reported: "Albert Ball, the star of aviators... has been missing since the 7th May. Is he a prisoner or has he been killed? If he is dead, he died fighting for his forty-fifth victory." It was only at the end of the month that the Germans dropped messages behind Allied lines announcing that Ball was dead, and had been buried in Annoeullin with full military honours two days after he crashed. Over the grave of the man they dubbed "the English Richtofen", the Germans erected a cross bearing the inscription In Luftkampf gefallen für sein Vaterland Engl. Flieger Hauptmann Albert Ball, Royal Flying Corps ("Fallen in air combat for his fatherland English pilot Captain Albert Ball").
, the "super-airman" in France, the "'Ace' of English 'Aces'" in Portugal, and the "heroe aviador" in South America. On 7 June 1917, the London Gazette announced that he had received the Croix de Chevalier, Legion d'Honneur
from the French government. The following day, he was awarded the Victoria Cross
for his actions from 25 April to 6 May 1917:
On 10 June 1917 a memorial service was held for Ball in the centre of Nottingham at St Mary's Church, with large crowds paying tribute as the procession of mourners passed by. Among those attending were Ball's father Albert, Sr. and brother Cyril, now also a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps; his mother Harriett, overwhelmed with grief, was not present. Ball was posthumously promoted to captain
on 15 June. His Victoria Cross was presented to his parents by King George V on 22 July 1917. Ball's confirmed victories during the war totalled forty-four. These included one balloon and twenty-eight aircraft destroyed, one of which was shared; he was also credited with six aircraft downed "out of control", and nine "forced to land". Although the Austin-Ball A.F.B.1 prototype flew successfully, it never went into production. With Ball dead, it had no advocate.
In 1918 Ball was posthumously awarded a special medal by the Aero Club of America
. The same year, Walter A. Briscoe and H. Russell Stannard released a biographical tribute, Captain Ball VC, reprinting many of Ball's letters and prefaced with appreciations by Prime Minister David Lloyd George
, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig
, and Major General Sir Hugh Trenchard. Lloyd George wrote that "What he says in one of his letters, 'I hate this game, but it is the only thing one must do just now', represents, I believe, the conviction of those vast armies who, realising what is at stake, have risked all and endured all that liberty may be saved". Haig spoke of Ball's "unrivalled courage" and his "example and incentive to those who have taken up his work". In Trenchard's opinion, Ball had "a wonderfully well-balanced brain, and his loss to the Flying Corps was the greatest loss it could sustain at that time".
Linda Raine Robertson, in The Dream of Civilised Warfare, noted that Briscoe and Stannard emphasised "the portrait of a boy of energy, pluck, and humility, a loner who placed his skill in the service of his nation, fought—indeed, invited— a personal war, and paid the ultimate sacrifice as a result", and that they "struggle to paste the mask of cheerful boyishness over the signs of the toll taken on him by the stress of air combat and the loss of friends". The authors themselves described the story of Ball's life as that of "a young knight of gentle manner who learnt to fly and to kill at a time when all the world was killing... saddened by the great tragedy that had come into the world and made him a terrible instrument of Death". According to Briscoe and Stannard, Manfred von Richtofen (who subscribed to his brother's victory claim) considered Ball "by far the best English flying man", while an unidentified RFC pilot, who flew with Ball in his last engagement, was quoted as saying, "I see they have given him the V.C. Of course he won it a dozen times over—the whole squadron knows that."
Following the end of the war, Ball's grave (which had been behind enemy lines) was located. In December 1918, personnel of No. 207 Squadron RAF erected a new cross in place of the one left by the Germans. His father wanted the remains brought back to England for reburial, but the policy put in place by the Imperial War Graves Commission meant that this was not possible. The Commission were working at the time to consolidate the British war graves into fewer cemeteries; twenty-three British bodies in graves in the location where Ball was buried were moved to the Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, but at his father's request Ball's grave was allowed to remain. His father paid for a private memorial to be erected over Ball's grave in what later became the Annoeullin Communal Cemetery and German Extension. Ball's is the only British grave from the First World War in this extension, the rest being German war graves. Ball's father also bought the French field where his son had died and erected a memorial stone on the crash site.
In further remembrance of his son, Albert Ball, Sr. commissioned the building of the Albert Ball Memorial Homes
in Lenton to house the families of local servicemen killed in action. Opened on 7 September 1922, the homes featured some unusual design elements. The building, containing eight residences, was built to evoke an aircraft, with the homes the wings, and the central porch reminiscent of a cockpit. The two centre homes had curving doors, windows, and walls that also fit the theme. Windows on the row were suggestive of propellers. They were also built with ease of use for the elderly in mind. The Albert Ball Memorial Homes were Grade-II listed in 1995. The Lenton War Memorial, located in front of the homes, includes Ball's name and was also paid for by the Ball family.
The memorials to Ball in Nottingham include a monument and statue in the grounds of Nottingham Castle
. The monument, which was commissioned by the city council and funded by public subscription, consists of a bronze group on a carved pedestal of Portland stone and granite. The bronze group, by the sculptor Henry Poole
, shows a life-size figure of Ball with an allegorical female figure at his shoulder. The monument was unveiled on 8 September 1921 by Air Marshal
Trenchard, the military honours including a flypast by a squadron of RAF aircraft. In 1929 the bronze statuette model for the Ball part of this monument was presented by Ball's father to the National Portrait Gallery in London, where it is on display.
Ball's Victoria Cross is displayed at the Nottingham Castle Museum along with his other medals and memorabilia including a bullet-holed Avro windshield, a section of engine piping from one of his damaged Nieuports, his Freedom of Nottingham Scroll and Casket, and various letters and other papers. Also in the grounds of the castle is the Nottingham Castle Victoria Cross Memorial, dedicated on 7 May 2010, which lists Ball and 19 other Nottinghamshire recipients of the Victoria Cross. A memorial to Ball, along with his parents and a sister who died in infancy, appears on the exterior wall of the southwest corner of Holy Trinity Church
in Lenton. Another memorial tablet is present inside the same church, stated in 1930 to be mounted on the north wall and bearing the RAF motto Per Ardua ad Astra
, along with decorations of medals and royal arms. In 1967, the Albert Ball VC Scholarships were instituted at his alma mater, Trent College
. In 2006, Ball was one of six recipients of the Victoria Cross to be featured on a special commemorative edition of Royal Mail
stamps marking the 150th anniversary of the award.
Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar
Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar
Military Cross (MC)
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
& Two Bars
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was an English fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
of the First World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
or Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
armed forces. At the time of his death he was, with forty-four victories, the United Kingdom's leading flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
, and remained its fourth-highest scorer behind Edward Mannock
Edward Mannock
Major Edward Corringham "Mick" Mannock VC, DSO and Two Bars, MC & Bar was a British First World War flying ace. Mannock was probably born in Ireland, though of English and Scottish parentage....
, James McCudden
James McCudden
James Thomas Byford McCudden VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar, MM was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, and George McElroy
George McElroy
Captain George Edward Henry McElroy MC and Two Bars, DFC and Bar was a leading ace fighter pilot of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force during World War I. He was credited with 47 aerial victories....
. Raised in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, Ball joined the Sherwood Foresters
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th Regiment of Foot and the 95th Regiment of Foot...
at the outbreak of the First World War and was commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in October 1914. He learnt to fly in his spare time and gained his pilot's licence in October 1915. Transferred to the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC), he undertook training at Central Flying School
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
, where he was awarded his wings
Aircrew brevet
An aircrew brevet is the badge worn on the left breast, above any medal ribbons, by qualified aircrew in the Royal Air Force, British Army, Indian Air Force, Canadian Forces, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, South African Air Force and Sri Lanka Air...
on 26 January 1916.
In February 1916, Ball joined No. 13 Squadron RFC in France, flying reconnaissance missions before being posted in May to No. 11 Squadron, a fighter unit. From then until his return to England on leave in October, he accrued many aerial victories, earning two Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
s and the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
. He became the first British fighter ace to capture the public's imagination. During his rest period he became engaged, but was soon anxious for a return to action. He was posted to No. 56 Squadron
No. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
, which deployed to the Western Front in April 1917. Ball continued his record of victories until his final flight on 7 May, when he crashed to his death in a field in France while pursuing the Red Baron's brother, Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
. During the engagement he managed to force von Richthofen to the ground, but soon after emerged from a cloud bank upside down and crashed before he could recover. The Germans buried him in Annœullin
Annœullin
Annœullin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
, with full honours.
Ball's death was reported around the world. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, and also honoured by the government of France and the Aero Club of America
Aero Club of America
The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Glidden and others to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New England. It thrived until 1923, when it transformed into the National Aeronautic...
. A memorial service in his home town of Nottingham was attended by large crowds. The year after his death he was commemorated in a biography that included tributes from Prime Minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, Field Marshal Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
and General Hugh Trenchard
Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
. Ball's father, a former mayor of Nottingham, memorialised his son in several ways, buying the field where he died, improving his gravesite in Annœullin
Annœullin
Annœullin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
, and building homes in his honour. Ball is also commemorated by a statue and plaque in the grounds of Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle is a castle in Nottingham, England. It is located in a commanding position on a natural promontory known as "'Castle Rock'", with cliffs high to the south and west. In the Middle Ages it was a major royal fortress and occasional royal residence...
, where his Victoria Cross and other medals and memoriabilia are displayed.
Early life
Albert Ball was born on 4 August 1896 at 301 Lenton Boulevard in Lenton, NottinghamLenton, Nottingham
Lenton is an area of the City of Nottingham in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. Politically, it falls within the Nottingham South constituency. Most of the area lies within the electoral ward of "Dunkirk and Lenton", however the "Lenton Triangle" area, considered by most residents to be part...
. After a series of moves to houses throughout Lenton, his family settled at Sedgley, 43 Lenton Road. His parents were Albert Ball
Sir Albert Ball
Alderman Sir Albert Ball JP was Mayor of Nottingham and Lord Mayor of Nottingham, and the father of the famous Great War air ace Captain Albert Ball, V.C., D.S.O.**, M.C....
, a successful businessman who rose in status from plumber to Lord Mayor of Nottingham
Lord Mayor of Nottingham
The Lord Mayor of Nottingham is a largely ceremonial role for the city of Nottingham, England. The position was historically Mayor of Nottingham; this was changed to Lord Mayor in 1928. The current Lord Mayor of Nottingham for 2010/2011 is Councillor Brian Grocock...
, and who was later knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
, and Harriett Mary Page. Young Albert had two siblings, a brother and a sister. His parents were considered loving and indulgent. In his youth, Ball had his own small hut behind the family house where he tinkered with engines and electrical equipment. He was raised with a knowledge of firearms, and conducted target practice in Sedgleys gardens. Possessed of keen vision, he soon became a crack shot. He was also deeply religious.
Ball studied at the Lenton Church School, Grantham Grammar School
The King's School, Grantham
The King's School is a British grammar school located in the market town of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England, and one of the oldest schools in the UK.-History:...
and Nottingham High School
Nottingham High School
Nottingham High School is a British boys' independent school situated about a mile north of Nottingham city centre. It has around 900 pupils from ages 11 to 18 and there is the adjoining Nottingham High Junior School catering for younger boys and, from September 2008, the Lovell House...
before transferring to Trent College
Trent College
Trent College is a co-educational, HMC independent day and boarding school. There are 760 pupils in the Senior School and 330 pupils in the Junior School, The Elms School...
in January 1911, at the age of fourteen. As a student he displayed only average ability, but was able to develop his curiosity for things mechanical. His best subjects were carpentry, modelling, violin and photography. He also served in the Officers Training Corps
Officers Training Corps
The Officer Training Corps is a part of the British Army which provides military leadership training to students at UK universities...
. When Albert left school in December 1913 at the age of seventeen, his father helped him start a business called Universal Engineering Works in a building next door to the family home.
First World War
Following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Ball enlisted in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, joining the 2/7th (Robin Hood) Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
Sherwood Foresters
The Sherwood Foresters was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th Regiment of Foot and the 95th Regiment of Foot...
. Soon promoted to sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, he gained his commission as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on 29 October. He was assigned to training recruits, but this rear-echelon role irked him. In an attempt to see action, he transferred early the following year to the North Midland Cyclist Company, Divisional Mounted Troops, but remained confined to a posting in England. On 24 February 1915, he wrote to his parents, "I have just sent five boys to France, and I hear that they will be in the firing line on Monday. It is just my luck to be unable to go."
While still in the Cyclist Company, Ball decided to take private flying lessons at Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
, where his interest in engineering could find an outlet, and possibly help him to see action in France sooner. Beginning in June 1915, he paid to undertake pilot training in his own time at the Ruffy-Baumann School, which charged £75 to £100 for instruction (£5,580 to £7,440 in 2010 prices). He would wake at 3:00am to ride his Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
motorcycle to Ruffy-Baumann and get in some flying at dawn, before beginning his daily military duty at 6:45am. His training at Ruffy-Baumann was not unique; Edwin Cole
Edwin Cole (aviator)
Lieutenant Edwin Stuart Travis Cole was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.-World War I service:On 14 December 1915, Cole earned Aviator's Certificate No. 2160 on Caudron Biplanes at the Ruffy-Baumann School in Hendon. On 21 July 1916, he was appointed to the Royal Flying...
was learning to fly there at the same time. In letters home Ball recorded that he found flying "great sport", and displayed what General Peter de la Billière
Peter de la Billière
General Sir Peter Edgar de la Cour de la Billière, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC & Bar is a former British Army officer who was Director SAS during the Iranian Embassy Siege and Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in the 1990 Gulf War...
, in Supreme Courage, called "almost brutal" detachment regarding accidents suffered by his fellow trainees:
Military flight training and reconnaissance work
Although considered an average pilot at best, Ball qualified for Royal Aero ClubRoyal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
certificate no. 1898 on 15 October 1915, and promptly requested transfer to the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC). He was seconded to No. 9 (Reserve) Squadron RFC on 23 October, and trained at Mousehold Heath aerodrome near Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. In the first week of December, he soloed in a Maurice Farman Longhorn
Farman MF.7
|-See also:-External links:* Contemporary technical description of the MF.7 with photographs and drawings....
after standing duty all night, and his touchdown was rough. When his instructor commented sarcastically on the landing, Ball lost his temper and angrily exclaimed that he had only fifteen minutes experience in the plane, and that if this was the best instruction he was going to get, he would rather return to his old unit. The instructor relented, and Ball then soloed again and landed successfully in a series of five consecutive flights. This rough landing was not the last Ball was involved in, however; he survived two others. Completing his training at Central Flying School
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
, Upavon, he was awarded his wings
Aircrew brevet
An aircrew brevet is the badge worn on the left breast, above any medal ribbons, by qualified aircrew in the Royal Air Force, British Army, Indian Air Force, Canadian Forces, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, South African Air Force and Sri Lanka Air...
on 22 January 1916. He was officially seconded from the North Midland Cyclist Company to the RFC as a pilot on 29 January.
On 18 February 1916, Ball joined No. 13 Squadron RFC at Marieux
Marieux
Marieux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-History:The château was built in 1777 and is still owned and occupied by the same family today...
in France, flying a two-seater Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c on reconnaissance missions. He occasionally flew the squadron's single-seat Bristol Scout
Bristol Scout
The Bristol Scout was a simple, single seat, rotary-engined biplane originally intended as a civilian racing aircraft. Like other similar fast, light aircraft of the period - it was acquired by the RNAS and the RFC as a "scout", or fast reconnaissance type...
, preferring the freedom of independent operations that this gave him. It was while flying the B.E.2 that Ball fought his first combat. On 29 March, he swooped on a German two-seater; Lieutenant S.A. Villiers—Ball's observer fired a drum and a half of Lewis Gun
Lewis Gun
The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...
ammunition at the enemy aircraft. In turn, a second German plane swooped on Ball's machine and his two foes were able to dive away. After this inconclusive skirmish, Ball wrote home in one of his many letters, "I like this job, but nerves do not last long, and you soon want a rest".
Throughout his flying service he was primarily a "lone-wolf" pilot, carefully stalking his prey from below until he drew close enough to use his top-wing Lewis gun on its Foster mounting
Foster mounting
In early 1916 Sergeant Foster of No. 11 Squadron RFC devised a sliding rail mounting for the upper wing Lewis Gun on a Nieuport 11. It enabled the gun to be pulled down so that its breech was conveniently in front of the pilot, making it much easier to change ammunition drums or to clear stoppages...
, angled to fire upwards into the enemy's fuselage. According to fellow ace and Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
recipient James McCudden
James McCudden
James Thomas Byford McCudden VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar, MM was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, "it was quite a work of art to pull this gun down and shoot upwards, and at the same time manage one's machine accurately". Ball generally attacked on sight, and heedless of the odds. Alan Clark
Alan Clark
Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark was a British Conservative MP and diarist. He served as a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's governments at the Departments of Employment, Trade, and Defence, and became a privy counsellor in 1991...
, in Aces High: The War in the Air Over the Western Front, found Ball the "perfect public schoolboy" with "the enthusiasms and all the eager intelligence of that breed" and that these characteristics, coupled with a lack of worldly maturity, were "the ingredients of a perfect killer, where a smooth transition can be made between the motives that drive a boy to 'play hard' at school and then to 'fight hard' against the King’s enemies". Biographer Chaz Bowyer, however, considered that "to label Albert Ball a 'killer' would be to do him a grave injustice", as his "sensitive nature suffered in immediate retrospect whenever he succeeded in combat". For his part, Ball felt no hatred for his opponents, writing to his parents "I only scrap because it is my duty... Nothing makes me feel more rotten than to see them go down, but you see it is either them or me, so I must do my duty best to make it a case of them".
First posting on fighters
On 7 May 1916, Ball was posted to No. 11 Squadron, which operated a mix of fighters including Bristol Scouts, Nieuport 11Nieuport 11
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzio, ed. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. New York: The Military Press, 1983. ISBN 0-517-41021-4....
s, and Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War...
b "pushers". After his first day of flying with his new unit, he wrote a letter home complaining about fatigue. He was unhappy with the hygiene of his assigned billet in the nearest village, and elected to live in a tent on the flight line. Later he built a hut to replace the tent, reasoning that it was better to be closer to his aeroplane. This was a habit that Ball was to repeat throughout his military career. He was as much a loner on the ground as in the air, preferring to stay in his hut on the flight line away from other squadron members. His off-duty hours were spent tending his small garden and practising the violin. While not unsociable per se, he was extremely sensitive and shy. Ball acted as his own mechanic on his aircraft and, as a consequence, was often untidy and dishevelled. His singularity in dress extended to his habit of flying without a helmet and goggles, and he wore his thick black hair longer than regulations generally permitted.
While flying Bristol Scout on 16 May 1916, Ball scored his first aerial victory, driving down a German reconnaissance plane. He then switched to Nieuports, bringing down two LVG
LVG
Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin-Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bomber biplanes during World War I.The raid on London in 1916 was...
s on 29 May and a Fokker Eindecker
Fokker Eindecker
The Fokker Eindecker was a German World War I monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker. Developed in April 1915, the Eindecker was the first purpose-built German fighter aircraft and the first aircraft to be fitted with synchronizer gear, enabling the pilot...
on 1 June. On 25 June he became an ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
and a balloon buster
Balloon buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness. Seventy-six fighter pilots in World War I were each credited with destroying five or more balloons, and thus were balloon aces....
by destroying an observation balloon with phosphor
Phosphor
A phosphor, most generally, is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of luminescence. Somewhat confusingly, this includes both phosphorescent materials, which show a slow decay in brightness , and fluorescent materials, where the emission decay takes place over tens of nanoseconds...
bombs. During the month he had written to his parents admonishing them to try and "take it well" if he was killed, "for men tons better than I go in hundreds every day". He again achieved two victories in one sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
on 2 July, shooting down a Roland C.II
LFG Roland C.II
-Armament:A centrally mounted synchronized Spandau 7.92mm gun was provided for the pilot on later models. The observer had a Parabellum gun on a ring mounting...
and an Aviatik
Aviatik
Automobil und Aviatik AG was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. The company was established at Mülhausen in 1910 and soon became one of the country's leading producers of aircraft, relocating to Freiburg in 1914 and establishing a subsidiary in Vienna as Österreichisch-Ungarische...
to bring his score to seven. After requesting a few days off, Ball was, to his dismay, temporarily reassigned to aerial reconnaissance with No. 8 Squadron, where he flew B.E.2s from 18 July until 14 August. During this posting, Ball undertook an unusual mission. On the evening of 28 July, he flew a French espionage agent across enemy lines. Dodging an attack by three German fighters, as well as anti-aircraft fire, he landed in a deserted field, only to find that the agent refused to get out of the aircraft. While he was on reconnaissance duties, the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
announced that he had been awarded the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
"for conspicuous skill and gallantry on many occasions," particularly for "one occasion [when] he attacked six in one flight".
Ball's twentieth birthday was marked by his promotion to temporary captain and his return to No. 11 Squadron. He destroyed three Roland C.IIs in one sortie on 22 August 1916, becoming the first RFC pilot credited with such an achievement. He ended the day by fighting fourteen Germans some 15 miles (24.1 km) behind their lines. With his plane badly damaged and out of fuel, he struggled back to Allied lines to land. He then transferred with part of No. 11 Squadron to No. 60 Squadron RFC
No. 60 Squadron RAF
No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire....
on 23 August. His new commanding officer gave Ball a free rein to fly solo missions, and assigned him his own personal aircraft and maintenance crew. One of the squadron mechanics painted up a non-standard red propeller boss; A201 became the first of a series of Ball's airplanes to have such a colour scheme. He found that it helped his fellow squadron members identify his plane and confirm his combat claims. By end of the month, he had increased his tally to seventeen enemy aircraft, including three on 28 August. He then took leave in England. While he had been in France, his feats had received considerable publicity. He was the first British ace to become a household name, and found that his celebrity was such that he could not walk down the streets of Nottingham without being stopped and congratulated. Prior to this the British government had suppressed the names of its aces—in contrast to the policy of the French and Germans—but the losses of the Battle of the Somme, which had commenced in July, made politic the publicising of its successes in the air. Ball's achievements had a profound impact on budding flyer Mick Mannock, who eventually became the United Kingdom's top-scoring ace with sixty-one victories and was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Returning to No. 60 Squadron in France, Ball scored morning and evening victories on 15 September, flying two different Nieuports. On the evening mission, he armed his plane with eight Le Prieur rockets on the outer struts, set to fire electrically. He intended to use them on an observation balloon. However, when he spotted three German Roland C.IIs, he broke their formation by salvoing his rockets at them, then picked off one of the confused pilots with machine-gun fire. After this he settled in an improved aeroplane, Nieuport 17
Nieuport 17
|-Specifications :-See also:-Bibliography:* Bruce, Jack. "Those Classic Nieuports". Air Enthusiast Quarterly. Number Two, 1976. Bromley, UK:Pilot Press. pp. 137–153....
no. A213. He had it rigged to fly tail-heavy, and had a holster built into the cockpit for the Colt automatic that he habitually carried. Three times during September he scored triple victories in a day, ending the month with his total score standing at thirty-one, making him Britain's top-scoring ace. By this time he had told his commanding officer that he had to have a rest and that he was taking unnecessary risks because of his nerves. On 3 October, he was sent on leave, en route to a posting at the Home Establishment in England.
Home front
Ball had been awarded the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO) and bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
simultaneously on 26 September 1916. The first award was "for conspicuous gallantry and skill" which saw Ball take on two enemy formations. The bar was also "for conspicuous skill and gallantry" when he attacked four enemy aircraft in formation, and then on another occasion, twelve enemy machines. He was awarded the Russian Order of St. George
Order of St. George
The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
the same month. Now that Ball had been posted back to England, he expected a quiet spell of family leave for rest and recuperation. Instead, he was lionised as a national hero with a reputation as a fearless pilot and expert marksman. A crowd of journalists awaited him on his family's doorstep. In an interview, he mentioned being downed six times in combat. On 18 November, he was invested with his Military Cross and both DSOs by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. A second bar to the DSO followed on 25 November, making him the first three-time recipient of the award. Ball was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant on 8 December.
Instead of returning to combat after his leave, Ball was posted to instructional duties with No. 34 (Reserve) Squadron, based at Orford Ness
Orford Ness
Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Wier Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the mainland by the River Alde, and was formed by longshore...
, Suffolk. It was while serving on the home front that he became involved in the design of an aircraft known as the Austin-Ball A.F.B.1
Austin-Ball A.F.B.1
-See also:...
.
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza was a Spanish automotive and engineering firm, best known for its luxury cars and aviation engines in the pre-World War II period of the twentieth century. In 1923, its French subsidiary became a semi-autonomous partnership with the parent company and is now part of the French SAFRAN...
engine, which was not available in production form in Britain until August 1916.
In any case, Ball visited the Austin
Austin Motor Company
The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...
works in December 1916, and was consulted about aspects of the design of the proposed A.F.B.1. The disposition of the armament, and the excellent view from the cockpit, are cited as bearing the hallmark of advice from an experienced fighter pilot. In particular, one of the aircraft's two Lewis guns was mounted on the top wing in Ball's preferred location, although the prototype as completed in July 1917, two months after his death, lacked his favourite Foster mounting. Apart from rather poor lateral control, reports of the A.F.B.1's performance and flying characteristics were excellent, but by this time the S.E.5a was already in production (Austin was a major contractors for the S.E.5a) and all supplies of Hispano-Suiza engines in Britain were required for this program, so that the "Ball Fighter" never went into mass production.
On 19 February 1917, in a tribute from his native city, Ball became an Honorary Freeman of Nottingham. It was around this time that he met James McCudden, also on leave. McCudden wrote in his diary that he was "much impressed by this keen-eyed pilot with his determined jaw... And what a splendid example he has set. I knew very well that when he went back to France no man was more likely to win a Victoria Cross. In London Ball also encountered Canadian pilot Billy Bishop
Billy Bishop
Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace, and according to some sources, the top ace of the British Empire.-Early life:Bishop was born in Owen Sound,...
, who had not as yet seen combat. Ball immediately liked Bishop, and may have helped the latter secure a posting to his old unit, No. 60 Squadron. The two were soon to become friendly rivals, with Bishop keen to be "at least second best" in aerial victories; he was eventually credited with seventy-two, and awarded the Victoria Cross. On 25 March, while off-duty, Ball met 18-year-old Flora Young. He impulsively invited her to fly with him, and she promptly accepted. They borrowed a leather flying coat for her, and took off. On 5 April, they became engaged; she wore his silver identification wrist bracelet in lieu of an engagement ring.
Second fighter posting
No. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
, the first to be equipped with the new S.E.5 scout, and considered to be as close to an elite unit as any established by the RFC. Still first among Britain's aces, Ball had been slated to serve with the squadron for only a month to mentor novice pilots. He was still far from happy with the qualities of the S.E.5, and was allowed to retain his Nieuport 17 no. B1522 when the unit went to France; the Nieuport was for his solo missions, and he would fly an S.E.5 on patrols with the rest of the squadron. This arrangement had the personal approval of General Hugh Trenchard
Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard GCB OM GCVO DSO was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force...
who went on to become the first Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. No. 56 Squadron moved to the Western Front on 7 April 1917. On arrival Ball wrote to his parents, "Cheero, am just about to start the great game again".
S.E.5 no. A4850, fresh from its packing crate, was extensively modified for Ball: in particular he had the synchronised Vickers machine-gun removed, to be replaced with a second Lewis Gun fitted to fire downwards through the floor of the cockpit. He also had a slightly larger fuel tank installed. Ball's aircraft was easy to recognise, since he had a red propeller boss from a German LVG that he had shot down fitted to his plane. However, on 9 April, A4850 was refitted, and the downward-firing Lewis gun was removed, to be replaced by the reinstatement of the normal Vickers gun mounting. In a letter to Flora Young on 18 April, Ball mentioned getting his own hut on the flight line, and installing the members of his flight nearby.
On 23 April 1917, Ball was under strict orders to stay over British lines, but still engaged the Germans five times in his Nieuport. In his first combat that day, using his preferred belly shot, he sent an Albatros into a spin, following it down and continuing to fire at it until it struck the ground. It was the No. 56 Squadron's first "kill". Regaining an altitude of 5000 feet (1,524 m), he tried to dive underneath an Albatros two-seater and pop up under its belly as he was wont to do. However he overshot, and the German rear gunner put a burst of 15 bullets through the Nieuport's wings and spars. Ball limped the Nieuport home for repairs, returning to battle in an S.E.5. In his third combat of the day, he fired five rounds before his machine gun jammed. After landing to clear the gun, he took off once more, surprising five Albatros fighters and sending one down in flames. His fifth battle, shortly thereafter, appeared inconclusive, as the enemy plane managed to land safely. However, its observer had been mortally wounded.
Three days later, on 26 April, Ball scored another double victory, flying S.E.5 no. A4850, and one more on 28 April. This last day's fighting left the S.E.5 so battered by enemy action that it was dismantled and sent away for repair. The following month, despite continual problems with jamming guns in the S.E.5s, Ball shot down seven Albatroses in five days, including two reconnaissance models on 1 May, a reconnaissance plane and a D.III
Albatros D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
fighter on 2 May; a D.III on 4 May, and two D.IIIs the following day. The last of these victims nearly rammed him in a head-on firing pass, and Ball flew his seriously damaged plane home in an advanced state of nervousness.
While squadron armourers and mechanics repaired the faulty machine-gun synchronizer on his most recent S.E.5 mount, A8898, Ball had been sporadically flying the Nieuport again, and was successful with it on 6 May, destroying one more Albatros D.III in an evening flight to raise his tally to forty-four. He had continued to undertake his habitual lone patrols, but had of late been fortunate to survive. The heavier battle damage that Ball's aircraft were now suffering bore witness to the improved team tactics being developed by his German opponents. Sometime on 6 May, Ball also visited his friend Billy Bishop at the latter's aerodrome. Ball proposed that the pair attack the Red Baron's squadron at its airfield at dawn, catching the German pilots off guard. Bishop agreed to take part in the daring scheme at the end of the month, after he returned from his forthcoming leave. That night, in his last letter to his father, Ball wrote "I do get tired of always living to kill, and am really beginning to feel like a murderer. Shall be so pleased when I have finished".
Final flight
On the evening of 7 May 1917, near DouaiDouai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
, eleven British aircraft from No. 56 Squadron led by Ball in an S.E.5 encountered German fighters from Jasta 11. A running dogfight in deteriorating visibility resulted, and the aircraft became scattered. Cecil Arthur Lewis
Cecil Lewis
Cecil Arthur Lewis MC was a British fighter pilot who flew in World War I. He went on to co-found the BBC and enjoy a long career as a writer....
, a participant in this fight, described it in his memoir Sagittarius Rising. Ball was last seen by fellow pilots pursuing the red Albatros D.III of the Red Baron's younger brother, Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
, who eventually landed near Annoeullin with a punctured fuel tank. Ball's squadron-mate Cyril Crowe
Cyril Crowe
-Early life:Crowe was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Crowe of Saltburn. He attended Mill Hill School from 1907 - 1911.-World War I service:He earned Aviator's Certificate No. 898 on 14 September 1914. On 1 October 1914, he was commissioned a probationary second lieutenant...
observed Ball flying into a dark thundercloud. A German pilot officer on the ground, Lieutenant Hailer, then saw Ball's plane falling upside-down from the bottom of the cloud, at an altitude of 200 feet (61 m), with a dead prop. Hailer and his three companions hurried to the crash site.
Richthofen was credited by the Germans with shooting Ball down; however there is some doubt as to what happened, especially as Richthofen's claim was for a Sopwith Triplane
Sopwith Triplane
The Sopwith Triplane was a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. Pilots nicknamed it the Tripehound or simply the Tripe. The Triplane became operational with the Royal Naval Air Service in early 1917 and was...
, not an S.E.5, which was a biplane. Given the amount of propaganda the German high command generated touting the younger von Richthofen, a high-level decision may have been taken to credit Ball's death to him. It is possible that Ball was not shot down at all, but had become disoriented and lost control during his final combat, the victim of a form of temporary vertigo
Vertigo (medical)
Vertigo is a type of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary. The symptoms are due to a dysfunction of the vestibular system in the inner ear...
that has claimed other pilots. He was pulled from the wreckage by a young French woman, but died at the scene from injuries suffered in the crash. A German doctor later described a broken back and a crushed chest, along with fractured limbs. Ball's squadron harboured hopes that he was a prisoner of war, and the British government officially listed him as "missing" on 18 May. There was much speculation in the press; in France, the Havas
Havas
Havas is the second largest advertising group in France and is a "Global advertising and communications services group" and the sixth-largest global advertising and communications group worldwide, operating on the communications consulting market through three main operational divisions:*Euro RSCG...
news agency reported: "Albert Ball, the star of aviators... has been missing since the 7th May. Is he a prisoner or has he been killed? If he is dead, he died fighting for his forty-fifth victory." It was only at the end of the month that the Germans dropped messages behind Allied lines announcing that Ball was dead, and had been buried in Annoeullin with full military honours two days after he crashed. Over the grave of the man they dubbed "the English Richtofen", the Germans erected a cross bearing the inscription In Luftkampf gefallen für sein Vaterland Engl. Flieger Hauptmann Albert Ball, Royal Flying Corps ("Fallen in air combat for his fatherland English pilot Captain Albert Ball").
Victoria Cross and wartime tributes
Ball's death was reported world-wide in the press. He was lauded as the "wonder boy of the Flying Corps" in Britain's Weekly DispatchSunday Dispatch
The Sunday Dispatch was a British newspaper, published between 27 September 1801 and 1961. Until 1928, it was called the Weekly Dispatch.-History:...
, the "super-airman" in France, the "'Ace' of English 'Aces'" in Portugal, and the "heroe aviador" in South America. On 7 June 1917, the London Gazette announced that he had received the Croix de Chevalier, Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
from the French government. The following day, he was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for his actions from 25 April to 6 May 1917:
On 10 June 1917 a memorial service was held for Ball in the centre of Nottingham at St Mary's Church, with large crowds paying tribute as the procession of mourners passed by. Among those attending were Ball's father Albert, Sr. and brother Cyril, now also a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps; his mother Harriett, overwhelmed with grief, was not present. Ball was posthumously promoted to captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
on 15 June. His Victoria Cross was presented to his parents by King George V on 22 July 1917. Ball's confirmed victories during the war totalled forty-four. These included one balloon and twenty-eight aircraft destroyed, one of which was shared; he was also credited with six aircraft downed "out of control", and nine "forced to land". Although the Austin-Ball A.F.B.1 prototype flew successfully, it never went into production. With Ball dead, it had no advocate.
In 1918 Ball was posthumously awarded a special medal by the Aero Club of America
Aero Club of America
The Aero Club of America was a social club formed in 1905 by Charles Glidden and others to promote aviation in America. It was the parent organization of numerous state chapters, the first being the Aero Club of New England. It thrived until 1923, when it transformed into the National Aeronautic...
. The same year, Walter A. Briscoe and H. Russell Stannard released a biographical tribute, Captain Ball VC, reprinting many of Ball's letters and prefaced with appreciations by Prime Minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
, and Major General Sir Hugh Trenchard. Lloyd George wrote that "What he says in one of his letters, 'I hate this game, but it is the only thing one must do just now', represents, I believe, the conviction of those vast armies who, realising what is at stake, have risked all and endured all that liberty may be saved". Haig spoke of Ball's "unrivalled courage" and his "example and incentive to those who have taken up his work". In Trenchard's opinion, Ball had "a wonderfully well-balanced brain, and his loss to the Flying Corps was the greatest loss it could sustain at that time".
Linda Raine Robertson, in The Dream of Civilised Warfare, noted that Briscoe and Stannard emphasised "the portrait of a boy of energy, pluck, and humility, a loner who placed his skill in the service of his nation, fought—indeed, invited— a personal war, and paid the ultimate sacrifice as a result", and that they "struggle to paste the mask of cheerful boyishness over the signs of the toll taken on him by the stress of air combat and the loss of friends". The authors themselves described the story of Ball's life as that of "a young knight of gentle manner who learnt to fly and to kill at a time when all the world was killing... saddened by the great tragedy that had come into the world and made him a terrible instrument of Death". According to Briscoe and Stannard, Manfred von Richtofen (who subscribed to his brother's victory claim) considered Ball "by far the best English flying man", while an unidentified RFC pilot, who flew with Ball in his last engagement, was quoted as saying, "I see they have given him the V.C. Of course he won it a dozen times over—the whole squadron knows that."
Post-war legacy
In further remembrance of his son, Albert Ball, Sr. commissioned the building of the Albert Ball Memorial Homes
Albert Ball Memorial Homes
The Albert Ball Memorial Homes were erected in 1922 in Lenton, Nottingham.Alderman Albert Ball commissioned the building of the Albert Ball Memorial Homes in Lenton to house the families of local servicemen killed in action, in memory of his son, Albert Ball....
in Lenton to house the families of local servicemen killed in action. Opened on 7 September 1922, the homes featured some unusual design elements. The building, containing eight residences, was built to evoke an aircraft, with the homes the wings, and the central porch reminiscent of a cockpit. The two centre homes had curving doors, windows, and walls that also fit the theme. Windows on the row were suggestive of propellers. They were also built with ease of use for the elderly in mind. The Albert Ball Memorial Homes were Grade-II listed in 1995. The Lenton War Memorial, located in front of the homes, includes Ball's name and was also paid for by the Ball family.
The memorials to Ball in Nottingham include a monument and statue in the grounds of Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle is a castle in Nottingham, England. It is located in a commanding position on a natural promontory known as "'Castle Rock'", with cliffs high to the south and west. In the Middle Ages it was a major royal fortress and occasional royal residence...
. The monument, which was commissioned by the city council and funded by public subscription, consists of a bronze group on a carved pedestal of Portland stone and granite. The bronze group, by the sculptor Henry Poole
Henry Poole (sculptor)
Henry Poole RA was a British architectural sculptor.He studied at the Lambeth School of Art in 1888; and from 26 January 1892 under Harry Bates ARA and George Frederic Watts RA at the Royal Academy Schools. Poole was elected ARA 22 April 1920 and became a full RA in 1927, shortly before his death...
, shows a life-size figure of Ball with an allegorical female figure at his shoulder. The monument was unveiled on 8 September 1921 by Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Trenchard, the military honours including a flypast by a squadron of RAF aircraft. In 1929 the bronze statuette model for the Ball part of this monument was presented by Ball's father to the National Portrait Gallery in London, where it is on display.
Ball's Victoria Cross is displayed at the Nottingham Castle Museum along with his other medals and memorabilia including a bullet-holed Avro windshield, a section of engine piping from one of his damaged Nieuports, his Freedom of Nottingham Scroll and Casket, and various letters and other papers. Also in the grounds of the castle is the Nottingham Castle Victoria Cross Memorial, dedicated on 7 May 2010, which lists Ball and 19 other Nottinghamshire recipients of the Victoria Cross. A memorial to Ball, along with his parents and a sister who died in infancy, appears on the exterior wall of the southwest corner of Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Church, Lenton
Holy Trinity Church, Lenton is a parish church in the Church of England.The church is Grade II* listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a particularly significant building of more than local interest.-History:...
in Lenton. Another memorial tablet is present inside the same church, stated in 1930 to be mounted on the north wall and bearing the RAF motto Per Ardua ad Astra
Per ardua ad astra
Per ardua ad astra is the motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the RAAF, RCAF, and RNZAF. It dates from 1912 and was used by the newly formed Royal Flying Corps.-Origin:The first Commanding Officer of the Royal Flying Corps was Colonel Frederick Sykes...
, along with decorations of medals and royal arms. In 1967, the Albert Ball VC Scholarships were instituted at his alma mater, Trent College
Trent College
Trent College is a co-educational, HMC independent day and boarding school. There are 760 pupils in the Senior School and 330 pupils in the Junior School, The Elms School...
. In 2006, Ball was one of six recipients of the Victoria Cross to be featured on a special commemorative edition of Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
stamps marking the 150th anniversary of the award.
Other award citations
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar
Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar
Military Cross (MC)
List of victories
Confirmed victories numbered; unconfirmed victories marked "u/c". Except where noted, data from Shores et al.| No. | Date/time | Aircraft | Foe | Result | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| u/c | 29 March 1916 | Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c | German reconnaissance plane | Inconclusive | Ball's observer/gunner was S. A. Villiers | |
| 1 | 16 May 1916 @ 0845 hours | Bristol Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines... serial number 5312 |
Albatros reconnaissance plane | Driven down out of control | Givenchy-Beaumont | German observer wounded in action Wounded in action Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight.... |
| 2 | 29 May 1916 @ 0800 hours | Nieuport Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:... s/n 5173 |
LVG LVG Luftverkehrsgesellschaft m.b.H. was a German aircraft manufacturer based in Berlin-Johannisthal, which began constructing aircraft in 1912, building Farman-type aircraft. The company constructed many reconnaissance and light bomber biplanes during World War I.The raid on London in 1916 was... reconnaissance plane |
Driven down out of control | Beaumont | Last seen in a vertical dive |
| 3 | 29 May 1916 @ 0830 hours | Nieuport s/n 5173 | LVG reconnaissance plane | Forced to land | Oppy | |
| 4 | 1 June 1916 @ 1010 hours | Nieuport s/n 5173 | Fokker Eindekker | Forced to land | A mile west of Douai Douai -Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying... Aerodrome |
|
| 5 | 25 June 1916 @ 1600 hours | Nieuport s/n 5173 | Observation balloon Observation balloon Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today.... |
Destroyed | Unknown | |
| 6 | 2 July 1916 @ 1730 hours | Nieuport s/n A134 | Roland C.II | Destroyed | Along the Mercatel Mercatel Mercatel is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Mercatel is situated south of Arras, at the junction of the D34 and the N17 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:... -Arras Arras Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect... road |
|
| 7 | 2 July 1916 @ 1800 hours | Nieuport s/n A134 | Aviatik Aviatik Automobil und Aviatik AG was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. The company was established at Mülhausen in 1910 and soon became one of the country's leading producers of aircraft, relocating to Freiburg in 1914 and establishing a subsidiary in Vienna as Österreichisch-Ungarische... reconnaissance plane |
Destroyed | Vicinity of Lens | |
| 8 | 16 August 1916 @ 0910 hours | Nieuport A201 | Roland C.II | Forced to land | Southeast of Saint-Léger Saint-Léger, Pas-de-Calais Saint-Léger is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Saint-Léger lies south of Arras, at the junction of the D12, D9 and D36E roads... |
|
| 9 | 22 August 1916 circa 1900 hours | Nieuport A201 | Roland C.II | Destroyed | West of Bapaume Bapaume Bapaume is a commune and the seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial town located 10 miles south of Arras at the junction of the A1 autoroute and the N17 and N30 national roads its location is... |
|
| 10 | 22 August 1916 ca 1930 hours | Nieuport A201 | Roland C.II | Set afire in midair; destroyed | Vaux | |
| 11 | 22 August 1916 @ ca 1945 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | Roland C.II | Destroyed | Vaux-Maurepas Maurepas, Somme Maurepas is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Maurepas is situated on the D146 road, some northeast of Amiens, about a mile from the A1 autoroute.-Population:-External links:*... |
Wilhelm Cymera WIA Wounded in action Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight.... and his observer died of wounds |
| 12 | 25 August 1916 @ 1100 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | Roland C.II | Driven down out of control | South of Arras | |
| 13 | 28 August 1916 @ 0700 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | Roland C.II | Southeast of Bapaume | Forced to land | |
| 14 | 28 August 1916 ca 1900 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | Roland C.II | Destroyed | East of Ayette Ayette Ayette is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:A farming village located 9 miles south of Arras at the junction of the D7 and D919 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:... |
|
| 15 | 28 August 1916 @ 1900 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | German reconnaissance plane | Forced to land | North of Grévillers Grévillers Grévillers is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village situated south of Arras, at the junction of the D10 and three small roads.-Population:-Places of interest:... |
|
| 16 | 31 August 1916 @ 1830 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | Roland C.II | Destroyed | Southeast of Bapaume | |
| 17 | 31 August 1916 @ 1830 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | Roland C.II | Forced to land | Southeast of Bapaume | |
| 18 | 15 September 1916 @ 0955 hours | Nieuport s/n A200 | Fokker D.II | Destroyed | East of Beugny Beugny Beugny is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village located 20 miles southeast of Arras at the junction of the N30 and D20 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:... |
|
| 19 | 15 September 1916 @ 1900 hours | Nieuport s/n A212 | Roland C.II | Destroyed | Northeast of Bertincourt | |
| 20 | 21 September 1916 ca 1600 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Roland Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft, also referred to as LFG, was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. They are best known for their various "Roland" designs, notably the Roland C.II and Roland D.VI, although they also produced a number of airships and experimental... fighter |
Forced to land | North of Bapaume | |
| 21 | 21 September 1916 ca 1605 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Roland fighter | Destroyed | Saint-Léger | |
| 22 | 21 September 1916 ca 1800 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Roland C.II | Destroyed | Bucquoy Bucquoy Bucquoy is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village located 12 miles south of Arras on the D919 road, at the junction with the D8.-Population:-Places of interest:... |
|
| 23 | 22 September 1916 ca 1700 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Fokker Fokker Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919.... fighter |
Destroyed | East of Bapaume | Winard Grafe of Jasta 2 Jasta 2 Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. It was founded by the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.-Formation:... KIA Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to... |
| 24 | 23 September 1916 @ 1800 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Roland C.II | Set afire in midair; destroyed | Mory Mory, Pas-de-Calais Mory is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Mory is situated south of Arras, at the junction of the D36 and D36E roads... |
|
| 25 | 25 September 1916 @ 1830 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Set afire in midair; destroyed | Bapaume-Cambrai Cambrai Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included... |
Pilot WIA, observer KIA |
| 26 | 28 September 1916 @ 1745 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Destroyed | Southeast of Saint-Léger | |
| 27 | 28 September 1916 ca 1915 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Forced to land | Bapaume | |
| 28 | 28 September 1916 ca 1930 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Forced to land | Northeast of Bapaume | |
| 29 | 30 September 1916 @ 1055 hours | Nieuport s/n A201 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Set afire in midair; destroyed | Vélu Vélu Vélu is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Vélu is situated some southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D18 and the D18E roads.-Population:-Places of interest:... |
Shared victory |
| 30 | 30 September 1916 @ 1830 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Roland reconnaissance plane | Driven down out of control | Graincourt-lès-Havrincourt Graincourt-lès-Havrincourt Graincourt-lès-Havrincourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D15 and C5 roads... |
|
| 31 | 30 September 1916 @ 1845 hours | Nieuport s/n A213 | Roland reconnaissance plane | Driven down out of control | Cambrai | |
| u/c | 1 October 1916 | Forced to land | ||||
| u/c | 1 October 1916 | Forced to land | ||||
| u/c | 1 October 1916 | Forced to land | ||||
| 33 | 23 April 1917 @ 1145 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A4850 | Albatros D.III Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer... |
Set afire in midair; destroyed | Cambrai-Selvigny Selvigny Selvigny is a former commune in the Nord department in northern France, merged in 1972 with Walincourt to create Walincourt-Selvigny-Heraldry:-See also:*Communes of the Nord department... |
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| 34 | 26 April 1917 between 1920 and 2000 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A4850 | Albatros D.III | Destroyed | Northeast of Cambrai | |
| 35 | 26 April 1917 between 1920 and 2000 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A4850 | Siemens-Schuckert D.I Siemens-Schuckert D.I The Siemens-Schuckert D.I was a German single-seat fighter built by Siemens-Schukert Werke.A number of captured Nieuport 17 fighters were given to German aircraft manufacturers to study, the Siemens-Schukert Werke produced the D.I based on the captured fighter. The D.I was a biplane powered by... |
Destroyed | East of Cambrai | |
| 36 | 28 April 1917 between 1650 and 1745 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A4850 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Destroyed | Fontaine | |
| 37 | 1 May 1917 @ 1700 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A8898 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Destroyed | Marquoin | |
| 38 | 1 May 1917 @ 1950 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A8898 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Driven down out of control | Southwest of Cambrai | |
| 39 | 2 May 1917 @ 0740 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A4855 | Albatros D.III | Destroyed | Halte-Vitry | |
| 40 | 2 May 1917 @ 0810 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A4855 | Albatros reconnaissance plane | Destroyed | Sailly Sailly, Ardennes Sailly is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:... |
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| 41 | 4 May 1917 between 1850 and 2000 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A8898 | Albatros D.III | Destroyed | Graincourt | |
| 42 | 5 May 1917 between 1830 and 1900 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A8898 | Albatros D.III | Destroyed | Lens-Carvin Carvin This article refers to a French commune. For the guitar manufacturer see Carvin Corporation. For the late New Orleans political consultant see Jim Carvin.Carvin is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.... |
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| 43 | 5 May 1917 between 1830 and 1900 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 s/n A8898 | Albatros D.III | Destroyed | Lens-Carvin | |
| 44 | 6 May 1917 @ 1930 hours | Nieuport s/n B1522 | Albatros D.III | Destroyed | Sancourt | |
| u/c | 7 May 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 | Albatros D.III | Forced to land | Vicinity of Annoeullin | Lothar von Richthofen Lothar von Richthofen Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories... shot down but unwounded |
External links
- Film of the unveiling of Albert Ball's memorial at Nottingham Castle (British Pathé)
- French school children honour WWI Fighter Ace (Victoriacross.org.uk) Collège Albert Ball (school in Annœullin named after Ball in 1999)
- Catalogue record of letters from Albert Ball held at the Nottinghamshire Archives (The National Archives)
- Paintings of Albert Ball, JP, Captain Albert Ball, VC, and Lois Ball (BBC, originals at Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery)
- Royal Flying Corps tunic worn by Albert Ball (Imperial War Museum)
- Procession for Albert Ball Memorial Service (Picture the Past)
- King George V presenting Ball's VC to his parents (Picture the Past)