Albert Ball

The French village of Annoeulin has named its school after Albert Ball; this village was of course where he crashed in May 1917.

The local population voted to change the name of their school and a dedication ceremony was held on Saturday, 13th November. It was attended by hundreds of people, including representatives from the RAF and his regiment, the Sherwood Foresters, who laid a wreath on his grave. His home city of Nottingham, I am ashamed to say, couldn't be bothered to turn up (the civic "dignatries" that is). Some Nottingham residents did make it over there, incluing some members of the local branch of the Western Front Association.

A full report of the day is on the WFA's site at http://www.westernfront.co.uk

Visit the "remembering page" to read the article.

Jim

[Vin]

Jim

The French do take WW 1 seriously as far as commemorations and awarding of medals etc. is concerned, don't they. Such commemorations of the contributions of the Australian forces occur in French villages to this day. There was a very moving interview with a French guide of WW 1 sites in which Australian forces fought in the program of which Andrew Smith wrote a few days ago. Without having read anything other than your post, you are being a bit harsh on the City of Nottingham.aren't you ? Ball may have been from that city but he flew as an army pilot representing the British Empire / England. Members of those groups were there.


Vin

[Vigilant]

The French tend not to dwell on WW2...

Sorry if I sounded a little sour about Nottingham's civic dignatries but why is it the French honour a foreigner and we cannot be bothered to remember one of our own? Any way, Albert Ball was one of the very few men to be made a Freeman of the City by the council and his father was Lord Mayor twice! Why couldn't the present Lord Mayor simply honour a forebear?

Our WW2 record isn't that great, at least in the early years. We were only saved by the English Channel and the Royal Navy; just what could Spitfires have done to damage a German invasion fleet? The French were poor in 1940 but we can hardly claim to be much better!

Vive La France!!

Jim

Sorry if I sounded a little sour about Nottingham's civic dignatries but why is it the French honour a foreigner and we cannot be bothered to remember one of our own? Any way, Albert Ball was one of the very few men to be made a Freeman of the City by the council and his father was Lord Mayor twice! Why couldn't the present Lord Mayor simply honour a forebear?

Our WW2 record isn't that great, at least in the early years. We were only saved by the English Channel and the Royal Navy; just what could Spitfires have done to damage a German invasion fleet? The French were poor in 1940 but we can hardly claim to be much better!

Vive La France!!

Jim

[Vigilant]

No, perfectly true.
It was only our "finest hour" I suspect because we won.

Here in Canterbury everyone seems to have forgotten their local boy as well, apart from a memorial in the cathederal there is no reference to him. Mind you as the britsih government were quick to forget, it is no surprise really!

Mark

Here in Canterbury everyone seems to have forgotten their local boy as well, apart from a memorial in the cathederal there is no reference to him. Mind you as the britsih government were quick to forget, it is no surprise really!

Mark