Albert Ball's crash site and grave

[Vin]

Originally Posted by Jos

Hello Vin,
I know that Albert Ball's father gave the plot of land "for the use of French soldiers on condition that this stone is protected".
Jos

I'm pretty sure it was MikeW who suggested that the paddock is still owned by the Ball family who allow it to be used by a local farmer subject to the upkeep of the monument. If that's true, did Ball senior or other family members set up a trust ? Is it registered in the names of one or more descendents of Ball senior ? Perhaps next time you go, Jos, you might ask ? Hope you enjoyed the Wright autobio.

[MikeW]

Vin,

ask Mike O'Connor directly - I believe he puts his e-mail address in all of his books. I'm at work so do not have his address here.



Jos,

Excellent photographs by the way, thanks for posting them.

[Jos]

Vin,


I enjoyed "From Horses to Horsepower" very much. It reads easily and gives a good view of the war experiences of John Wright. Thanks again for sending it to me.


Probably I go back next year, but if you really want to know you can contact Mike O'Connor as MikeW suggested.
The email-address is: oconnor@stonehousecottage.freeserve.co.uk


Here are 2 more pictures of Albert Ball's grave. By entering the cemetery you can see immediately his grave. It is the only British grave in this German cemetery and has a civilian headstone.


Jos

[Vin]

Thanks to MikeW and Jos for putting me on to Mike O’Connor. In his turn, he put me on to Barry Gray, at whose suggestions I emailed the municipal offices at Annoeullin in my quest for a cheap title search of the Ball field. I received the following relpy from Jean Luc Mequignon, presumably from the municipal offices and a moderator of the forum on the Annoeullin website

http://www.ville-annoeullin.fr/forum...pid=1196#p1196

“Voici quelques informations rapidement collectées, ci-dessous.
Si j’en trouve d’autres, je ne manquerai pas de vous les transmettre. En particulier au sujet du champ et du monument.
Jean-Luc Méquignon
Adjoint au Maire
Chargé de l’Information et de la Communication
Le site d’Annoeullin, http://www.ville-annoeullin.fr donne déjà comme information à la rubrique Histoire d’Annoeullin, page 10 :
http://www.ville-annoeullin.fr/artic...e=9#sommaire_1
Le 7 mai 1917, le célèbre aviateur anglais Albert Ball s’écrasa ou fut abattu (la thèse du combat aérien n’est pas prouvée) à l’angle du petit bois de Carnin (borne commémorative). Son corps repose dans le cimetière militaire où chaque 11 novembre, la population rend hommage à son souvenir.
Le site du Collège Albert Ball d’Annoeullin en dit plus, à l’adresse suivante :
http://www2.ac-lille.fr/albert-ball/
Le 6 Mai, Ball abattit son dernier avion ennemi, numéro 44. Le 7 Mai, alors qu'il était en patrouille, Ball se trouva impliqué dans une bataille contre la flotte de von Richthofen.
Après un combat épuisant, l'avion de Ball s'écrasa au sol près de la maison de Melle Cécile DELOFFRE, une fermière française, habitant ANNOEULLIN.
Alors que le beau jeune pilote gisait dans l'épave de l'appareil, elle souleva doucement sa tête et Albert Ball ouvrit les yeux un instant, mais en l'espace de quelques secondes il était mort. Il avait juste 20 ans.
Les allemands clamèrent que Lothar von Richthofen, le frère du Baron Rouge, avait abattu Ball.
Cependant, quand le Capitaine Ball fut découvert par Melle Deloffre, il ne souffrait d'aucune blessure, pas plus que son avion n'était endommagé par le feu de l'ennemi.
Toutefois, la queue de l'avion était manquante et l'on sait qu'il avait volé dans une épaisse perturbation avant l'atterrissage fatal.
Les experts pensent qu'un gel soudain pourrait avoir provoqué la cassure du fragile avion, ou qu'il pourrait avoir été désorienté après trois heures de vol et e combat stressantes, ou encore qu'il pourrait simplement être tombé en panne de carburant.
Quelle qu'en soit la raison, la mort de Ball, la veille du jour prévu se son retour à la maison, fut un coup très dur -- pour ses parents Harriet et Albert, accablés, son frère et sa sœur Cyril et Lois, sa fiancée Flora Young... et pour la nation qui vénérait son jeune conquérant du ciel.

The telling of the story we are familiar with in French has a charm about it.
I fired back an email asking M Méquignon if he would tell me the owner from the rates book. No reply just yet but hoping.

[Elfen]

Excellent pictures.
Am I seeing this right? Albert Ball's grave high decorated amoung a sea of German graves, which is plain?

[SCMc]

Since my French is essentially nonexistent, I used Babelfish to translate vin's post. There was a statement I had never read before:

However, when the Ball Captain was discovered by Miss Deloffre, it did not suffer from any wound, not more than its plane was not damaged by the fire of the enemy. However, the tail of the plane was missing

Does anyone know more about this? Was this the rudder, tail plane, or all of it? My impression was that the SE5 was a rugged plane. It would seem odd for it to have been lost in flight apart from a collision.

Steve

[Vin]

Steve,

Barry Gray, who suggested the approach to the municipal offices, believes that there were originally 2 marker stones, one for the nose and one for the tail of Ball's SE5a.

[Jos]

Vin,

Mike O'Connor also mentions in his book "Arras" the two marker stones. It seems that the remaining stone indicates the position of the nose of the crashed SE5a.
I don't know why the other marker has been removed.

Elfen,

Yes, you're seeing it right. All the German graves have common crosses and Ball's grave is the eye-catcher. Standing next to his grave and looking around I found it quite remarkable, because after all it is a German cemetery.


Jos

Youcould try Mrs Suella Postles at Nottingham Castle Museum. She is v knowledgeable about matters pertaining to Ball and his family.
Mary Brigid

[MikeW]

Vin,

also try Maurial, known here as "Scarlett", she carried out a lot of research on Ball a couple of years back.

Good luck with your quest.


Mike