albert ball SE.5a A8898

Albert Ball, VC, DSO & Two Bars, MC (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a British 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

After gaining his wings on 26 January 1916 he joined No. 13 Squadron RFC in France and flew reconnaissance missions. In May he was posted to No. 11 Squadron, a fighter unit and from then until his return to England on leave in October, he accrued many aerial victories, earning two Distinguished Service Orders and the Military Cross. He was the first ace to become a British national hero.

Ball was then 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 Victoria Cross. The  German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen said of Ball that he was “by far the best English flying man”.