WONDER BOY OF THE FLYING CORPS.
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Missing Airman Who Had 42 Victims.
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FIGHT IN PYJAMAS.
Flight Commander Captain
Albert Ball, D.S.O., M.C., whose parents at Nottingham have been officially informed that he is missing, was one of the youngest and most successful of the men of our wonderful Flying Corps. He was regarded as the star fighter of the service.
After bringing down 30 enemy aeroplanes last year in individual combats he came home on leave, and for some months was employed as an instructor at home. He went back to France a few weeks ago when the great struggle for the supremacy of the air was in progress, and since then has brought down 12 more machines, bringing his total to 42. He is not yet 21. He was undoubtedly a terror to the Hun airmen.
As it is the desire of the officers and men of the Flying Corps that no mention of names should be made, Ball's name has never been officially declared in connection with some of the wonderful feats at the front. But stories of his amazing exploits were bound to leak out.
His name was first mentioned in the Press by the French, who spoke of "the wonderful boy" whose doings were the talk of both Armies.
He was decorated with the D.S.O. with two bars, which means in effect that he won it three times, and the Military Cross, and he was presented with the honorary freedom of the city of Nottingham. The mayor of that city stated that the authorities, recognizing Captain Ball's daring and resourcefulness in the air, had come to the conclusion that his services would be more useful at home than abroad.
UP TO ALL SORTS OF PRANKS
Captain Ball in appearance and manner is a laughing schoolboy, small in stature, dark, clean shaven, fresh complexioned, and he was always up to some prank. When a stranger called to see him at his home in Nottingham the door was opened by his mother. At the same moment strange noises, like that made by some wild animal, came from inside.
"That is my son," said the mother smiling, and soon afterwards the famous airman appeared coming down the stairs three steps at a time.
Recently the
Nottingham Guardian published a letter he wrote home to his father, Alderman A. Ball, an ex-Mayor of Nottingham, describing how he went up to "have a go" at two enemy Albatross machines. They made a great fight and tried to ram him, but he shot down the first machine and, dodging the second, turned and gave it a death blow.
He himself had to descend hurriedly, as his machine was considerably shot about, but he landed safely and he said "everything was O.K."
The first day he got back to the front he fought in a great aerial battle at a height of 15,000 feet, and himself accounted for two machines. Then he commanded a squadron of four machines which attacked 20 enemy machines, two of which Captain Ball destroyed.
Only a few days ago he fought against overwhelming odds until all his controls had been shot to pieces. He built a summerhouse near his quarters and cultivated a garden of flowers from Nottingham.
SOME OF HIS DODGES.
The Weekly Dispatch published a full account of the achievements of Captain Ball as related by the airman himself to his friends. He told them as amusing stories and not with any idea of self-glorification.
"Am I frightened?" he once said. "Yes, I am occasionally frightened. You see, I don't want to get hit if I can help it. I realise the danger and try to avoid it."
"My favourite dodge is well known to the Huns. When I get to close quarters I generally pretend that I am going to attack from above. The Hun gets ready to fly up to me, and then I suddenly dive under his machine and empty a drum into his petrol tank, and down he goes.
"Sometimes I fly very low to make sure that the machine is destroyed and fire another drum into it.
"To bring down a lot of Huns you have to be patient and practically live in the air. Sometimes you may make ten flights in one day and never get one fight.
"On a few occasions I haven't had time to put my clothes on, and I've gone up in my pyjamas. It was jolly cold, I can tell you, but unfortunately I can't pretend I have ever brought down a machine when dressed like that."
Once he met a very formidable opponent.
"We tried all our dodges, but neither of us could get the position we wanted, so we kept on firing without doing any damage until our ammunition was gone. The fight lasted half an hour and when we could not fire any more we both burst out laughing and flew together side by side for a [unreadable] distance. He was a real sporting Hun like Bolcke [sic]. I should have been sorry had I killed him, and I think he would have been sorry had he finished me."
On an official report made to Sir Douglas Haig on his gallantry the Commander-in-Chief wrote: "Well done! — D.H."
MOST DARING PILOT.
Major-General Trenchard, in acquainting Alderman Ball, of Nottingham, with the fact that his son was missing, wrote: "I sincerely hope he has landed safely. He was the most daring, skilful, and successful pilot the Royal Flying Corps has ever had. Everybody in the Flying Corps looked upon him as their own personal asset, and he was a most popular officer. His good spirit was infectious. I have never met a man who has been so successful as he was in such a short time, or so modest and reliable."
Before returning to France three weeks ago Captain Ball was presented with a black velvet cat by a little girl who called at his father's house one night and begged Captain Ball to fix the cat on the front of his aeroplane as a mascot. He joyfully accepted it, and in a recent letter home said that it was still bringing him luck.
Ball always had a chivalrous feeling towards the German flying men. In reply to a Nottingham friend who recently wrote to him, "Go for the devils," he replied, "They are not devils. On the contrary, they are decent chaps who are doing their best for their country just as I am."
After bringing down his 40th victim he wrote: "I am getting tired of living to kill. I begin to feel like a murderer, but I feel that God is taking care of me."
To his father when last at home on leave he said: "They are sure to get me sooner or later. You have only got to go up often enough."
So far Captain Ball's family have had no confirmation of newspaper rumours that he is a prisoner.
The Weekly Dispatch - Sunday, May 20, 1917
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