Albert Ball, most loved British Ace.

lbert Ball was born in Lenton, Nottingham on August 14, 1896. As a son of a master plumber he grew up on his parents estate. He visited Nottingham high school and Trent College. He had a talent for technical things and, for instance, built his own radio. He also was very good in shooting in particular with a revolver.
By the time Albert was 17, he worked in a brass foundry and an electrical company. At the start of the war he joined the 27th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters: "The Robin Hoods". He became a Sergeant and was soon transferred to the cycling division in the south of England. He took private flying lessons nearby Hendon. In October 1915 he passed the tests and got the flying certificate. He joined the RFC in Norwich. Here he had to complete his training which he did in January 1916.

Albert Ball was happy to be placed the Royal Flying Corps in France in February, flying with 13 Squadron of BE-2, two seater scouts. On 7 May of 1916, he was placed under command of 11 Squadron. The first planes he flew in this squadron were the Bristol Scout. His fighting spirit and his special quality of solo-attacking was the reason that he was allowed to fly in the new Nieuport 17. A one seater with a Lewis gun mounted on the top wing. This became his favorite plane to fly during his short carreer.

Although he was devoted to the Nieuport his first registered victory was in a Bristol Scout, on May 16 he took a lucky shot during a reconnaisanceflight hitting a German Albatross. On May 22, he claimed his first success with the Nieuport downing a German Albatross D1 and another German aircraft but non was confirmed as a victory. One week later on 29th he had shot 2 LVG's. In June and July he had another 4 victories. Ball was awarded the Military Cross at the end of June.

He was a very aggressive fighter pilot sometimes taking many chances. During his career, he was shot down six times, but he always managed to nurse his crippled plane back to friendly territory. Albert Ball felt it an honour to be called "the British Guynemer". He had developed special fighting tactics; hunting his opponent alone, get right under him, pulled down his gun so far as possible and shot upwards in his adversary. Ball was the first pilot of the war to attach a mirror to his plane so he could see behind him without turning his head. This practice was soon followed by many Allied and German pilots.
In August 1916 he was placed at 60 squadron. He scored 10 victories in August and another 14 in September.

October 4, 1916 he was called back to good old England to be an instructor. In April of 1917 Albert became flight commander with the new formed 56 Squadron bringing the SE5 Scout to France. During April, which was known as "Bloody April" due to the extreme number of allied casualties at the hands of the Germans.
When Albert Ball was back at the field and not on duty, he usually kept to himself most of the time. Most of his fellow pilots would drink and party, but Albert would rather sit and listen to music or play his violin. Also, as an amateur gardener, he spent some time working in a small garden on the airbase.

On the 6th of May, Ball, flying his SE5 A4850, shot down his last enemy plane, number 44. On the evening of May 7, while on patrol flights above Cambrai-Bapaume area, the 3 flights of the squadron became involved in a battle with Germans Jasta 11, von Richthofen's Flying Circus. The Red Baron himself was in Germany for a short visit and had given the command to his brother Lothar. During the battle several airplanes became separated from the group and were fighting in small combats. Ball with one remaining companion Cyril Crowe, climbed high in the sky, chasing a pair of red Albatrosses. Alberts gun jammed. Dark storm clouds were coming up and both airplanes were drifted far away from the place where pilotes should rendezvous and were flying far northeast of Arras. Crowe watched Ball going down chasing a lone Albatross near Annouillin. Ball's plane and the Albatross went fighting into a huge black storm cloud. Crowe lost every sight, turned and flew home. The Albatross made a crash landing. The German pilot was Lothar von Richthofen. Ball came out of the cloud and fell to earth. A French farmer girl tried to help him but Albert died a few minutes later. The Germans claimed that Lothar von Richtofen shot Ball down. Several French witnesses saw his body and said that there were no bullet holes in it. He died, only 20 years old, suffering a broken back.

Why his plane crashed was never clear, maybe he came out of the cloud too low and was not able to pull up. Many think that Ball's plane was shot down by ground troops but it is really just one of the countless mysteries that surround the Great War in the air.

June 3, 1917, Albert Ball was post hume awarded the Victoria Cross, one of Britain's highest honors.

Looking for more information about World War I.?
Albert Ball, VC
In Flanders fields.
The inheritance of the Great War.
The Aerodrome.
Trenches on the Web.
The World War I Document Archive.
The early years of flying.