March Branch Meeting: “Captain Albert Ball VC, RFC”

The next meeting of the Milton Keynes branch of the Western Front Association will take place on Friday 20th March.

  • Venue: City Discovery Centre, Alston Drive, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, MK13 9AP
    7.00pm for 7.30pm.
  • This month’s speaker is : Bill Fulton
  • Title of talk : “Captain Albert Ball VC, RFC”

Summary of talk : Captain Albert Ball VC, DSO & two Bars, MC (!4th  August 1896 to 7th  May 1917), was at the time of his death the UK’s leading flying ace with 44 victories. Ball was raised in Nottingham, he joined the Sherwood Foresters on the outbreak of the First World War, being commissioned as a 2nd  lieutenant in October 1914. In 1915 he transferred to the RFC, joining No 13 Squadron in 1916. He was the first flying ace to become a British popular hero.

Ball died during the evening of 7th  May 1917 during a dogfight in failing visibility; some mystery surrounds his death. Cecil Arthur Lewis was a participant in the action and describes it in his memoir ‘Sagittarius Rising’.

Joins for this talk and learn more about Captain Albert Ball VC and why there is some controversy/mystery surrounding his death.