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Albert Ball, from Nottingham, was a World War One flying ace and the first pilot of the Royal Flying Corps to receive the Victoria Cross - it was awarded posthumously.

He is credited with shooting down 43 German planes in only 15 months.

He died on 7 May 1917, aged 20. It was believed he was shot down by Lothar von Richthofen, the brother of the infamous German flying ace, the Red Baron. But there is now significant doubt about that theory.

Using documentary evidence and expert opinion it is more likely Ball’s death could have been down to a combination of fatigue and mechanical failure. He was last seen coming upside down out of a cloud with no engine running.

Albert Ball is also significant because he became one of the first to have his name and actions thrust into the media spotlight at a time when this was new. A hero at home was needed and he became that hero…much to his own discomfort.

Location: Nottingham NG1 6EL
Image of Albert Ball VC, courtesy of Imperial War Museums

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