Albert Ball, VC, DSO & 2 Bars, MC (August 14 1896 - May 7 1917) was an English WWI fighter pilot and recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Born in Nottingham, Ball joined The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) at the start of the First World War. He transfered to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915.

He was 20 years old, and a T/Captain when the following deeds took place for which he was awarded the VC.

From 26 April to 6 May 1917 flying over France, Captain Ball took part in 26 combats in the course of which he destroyed 11 hostile aircraft, brought down two out of control and forced several others to land. Flying alone, on one occasion he fought six hostile machines, twice he fought five and once four. When leading two other British planes he attacked an enemy formation of eight - on each of these occasions he brought down at least one enemy plane, and several times his plane was badly damaged. On returning with a damaged plane he had always to be restrained from immediately going out in another.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum (The Castle, Nottingham, England).

Reference

• Albert Ball, VC (Chaz Bowyer, 1994)
• Albert Ball, VC (Gillian Elias, 1993)
• Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• VCs of the First World War - Air VCs (P G Cooksley, 1999)

External links

• Albert Ball - British Flying Ace of World War 1
• Albert Ball
• Captain Albert Ball
• Recollections of Captain Albert Ball
• Captain Albert Ball, VC DSO MC (80th anniversary article)
• News Item (French school children honour WWI Fighter Ace)

This page has been migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.