Albert Ball VC

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On a recent visit to Nottingham I of course visited the Sherwoods Regimental Museum.

The highlight for me of course was the Medals of Albert Ball VC and his other memrobilia.

I also wanted to see the wonderful memorial statue to him in the Old Castle Grounds.

Here are some images that I took which I hope that you will enjoy.....

Firstly though a biography of Albert himself..................

[Kitchener's Bugle]

1).

Albert Ball, VC, DSO & Two Bars, MC (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, 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 transferred to the Royal Flying Corps(RFC) the following year, and gained his pilot's wings on 26 January 1916. Joining No. 13 Squadron RFC in France, he flew 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 Orders and theMilitary Cross. He was the first ace to become a British popular hero.

After a period on home establishment, Ball was posted to No. 56 Squadron, which deployed to the Western Front in April 1917. He crashed to his death in a field in France on 7 May, sparking a wave of national mourning and posthumous recognition, which included the award of the Victoria Cross for his actions during his final tour of duty. His most renowned enemy, Manfred von Richthofen, remarked upon hearing of Ball's death that he was "by far the best English flying man".
At the Time of his death Albert was only 20 Years Old.

[Kitchener's Bugle]

2).

Victoria Cross Citation.

Lt. (temp. Capt.) Albert Ball, D.S.O., M.C., late Notts. and Derby. R., and R.F.C.
For most conspicuous and consistent bravery from the 25th of April to the 6th of May, 1917, during which period Capt. Ball took part in twenty-six combats in the air and destroyed eleven hostile aeroplanes, drove down two out of control, and forced several others to land.
In these combats Capt. Ball, flying alone, on one occasion fought six hostile machines, twice he fought five and once four. When leading two other British aeroplanes he attacked an enemy formation of eight. On each of these occasions he brought down at least one enemy.
Several times his aeroplane was badly damaged, once so seriously that but for the most delicate handling his machine would have collapsed, as nearly all the control wires had been shot away. On returning with a damaged machine he had always to be restrained from immediately going out on another.
In all, Capt. Ball has destroyed forty-three German aeroplanes and one balloon, and has always displayed most exceptional courage, determination and skill.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

For conspicuous gallantry and skill. Observing seven enemy machines in formation, he immediately attacked one of them and shot it down at 15 yards range. The remaining machines retired. Immediately afterwards, seeing five more hostile machines, he attacked one at about 10 yards range and shot it down, flames coming out of the fuselage. He then attacked another of the machines, which had been firing at him, and shot it down into a village, when it landed on the top of a house. He then went to the nearest aerodrome for more ammunition, and, returning, attacked three more machines, causing them to dive under control. Being then short of petrol he came home. His own machine was badly shot about in these fights.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar

For conspicuous skill and gallantry. When on escort duty to a bombing raid he saw four enemy machines in formation. He dived on to them and broke up their formation, and then shot down the nearest one, which fell on its nose. He came down to about 500 feet to make certain it was wrecked. On another occasion, observing 12 enemy machines in formation, he dived in among them, and fired a drum into the nearest machine, which went down out of control. Several more hostile machines then approached, and he fired three more drums at them, driving down another out of control. He then returned, crossing the lines at a low altitude, with his machine very much damaged.

Distinguished Service Order (DSO) Bar

For conspicuous gallantry in action. He attacked three hostile machines and brought one down, displaying great courage and skill. He has brought down eight hostile machines in a short period, and has forced many others to land.

Military Cross (MC)

For conspicuous skill and gallantry on many occasions, notably when, after failing to destroy an enemy kite balloon with bombs, he returned for a fresh supply, went back and brought it down in flames. He has done great execution among enemy aeroplanes. On one occasion he attacked six in one flight, forced down two and drove the others off. This occurred several miles over the enemy's lines.

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3). Other artifacts from within the Museum:-

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6). This wonderful Portrait hangs in the Castle museum.

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7). The Memorial.

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16).

Final Flight


On the evening of 7 May 1917, near Douai, 11 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 Annœullin with a punctured fuel tank. 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. Brothers Franz and Carl Hailer and the other two men in their party were from a German reconnaissance unit, Flieger-Abteilung A292. Franz Hailer noted, "It was leaving a cloud of black smoke... caused by oil leaking into the cylinders." The engine had to be inverted for this to happen. The Hispano engine was known to flood its inlet manifold with fuel when upside down and then stopped running. Franz Hailer and his three companions hurried to the crash site. Ball was already dead when they arrived. The four German airmen agreed that the crashed craft had suffered no battle damage. No bullet wounds were found on Ball's body, even though Hailer went through Ball's clothing to find identification. Hailer also took Ball to a field hospital. A German doctor subsequently described a broken back and a crushed chest, along with fractured limbs, as the cause of death.

The Germans credited Richthofen with shooting down Ball, but 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 Richthofen, a high-level decision may have been taken to attribute Ball's death to him. It is probable 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. 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 Richthofen", 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"). 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 Dispatch, the "Ace of English Aces" in Portugal, the "heroe aviador" in South America, and the "super-airman" in France. 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 "most conspicuous and consistent bravery" in action 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 RFC; 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.



Reaction to his death.

In 1918, Walter A. Briscoe and H. Russell Stannard released a seminal biography,Captain Ball VC, reprinting many of Ball's letters and prefaced with encomiums 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".

In the book proper, Briscoe and Stannard quote Ball's most notable opponent,Manfred von Richthofen. The Red Baron, who believed in his younger brother's victory award, considered Ball "by far the best English flying man".[ Elsewhere in the book, an unidentified Royal Flying Corps 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."

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

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18). A Remarkable Young Man!.

[MBrockway]

1).

Albert Ball, VC, DSO & Two Bars, MC (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, 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 transferred to the Royal Flying Corps(RFC) the following year, and gained his pilot's wings on 26 January 1916. Joining No. 13 Squadron RFC in France, he flew 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 Orders and theMilitary Cross. He was the first ace to become a British popular hero.

The KRRC Association Newsletter No 74 from March 1994 contains a short article on the history of the KRRC's 1st Cadet Battalion based at 42 Sun Street, Finsbury Square, London EC written by Capt. R.L. Collet, OC 'B' Coy, 1st CB, KRRC..

The article states:

"Many cadets volunteered throughout the [Great War] and no less than three were awarded the V.C. One instance was to Captain Dimmer [KRRC]. .... Another ex cadet V.C., was Captain Ball whilst serving with the Royal Flying Corps"

Despite considerable digging, I have so far failed to turn up any proper evidence of Albert Ball being a member of the 1st Cadet Battalion, KRRC and it is puzzling to see how a young man who grew up in Nottingham would be serving in a non-school-based cadet unit in central London.

He did indeed serve in the OTC of Trent College in Nottingham, so Capt Collet may mean that three ex cadets from across all units of the whole OTC were awarded the V.C., but this seems to sit very poorly with the rest of the article, which is purely about the 1st CB, KRRC.

Can anyone help with this?

Mark

[MBrockway]

Further to the last post, I've just found another clue in the 1919 KRRC Chronicle.

A report of a test mobilisation concentration march by the 1st Cadet Battalion, KRRC ends with ...

"This Battalion is the oldest Cadet Battalion in the Country, and its War record is highly creditable. It has contributed to the fighting forces 120 officers and 4800 other ranks, and can boast of 3 V.C.'s, 6 D.S.O.'s, 10 M.C.'s, 7 D.S.M.'s, 5 M.M.'s, 1 Legion of Honour; 1 French, 1 Italian and 1 Belgian Croix de Guerre."

[source: KRRC Chronicle 1919 p.122]

I am a bit doubtful about 1st CB being the "oldest Cadet Battalion in the Country", but it is certainly clear that the 3 VC's were won by the battalion, not the whole of the Cadet Force.

Can any of the Pals connect Albert Ball back to 1st CB, KRRC?

Alternatively coming from the other direction, can the Pals identify the three 1st CB KRRC VC's? One of whom is definitely Capt Dimmer.

[Stoppage Drill]

Some artistic licence in the portrait at post #7 ?

[David Filsell]

Not wishing to make any point. Simply a question.

There is clear evidence that both Mannock and vonR were suffering from "combat fatigue" or whatever term one chooses to call it. I have never looked into Ball's career, or read much other than the standard material about him. Is there any knowledge out there about any altered mental state either before or at the time of his death - apart from his apparent desire for solitude at times?

[Stoppage Drill]

His personal letters included here - http://www.captainalbertball.uk/Recollections.html - show classic signs of combat stress.