Air Marshal Sir Alfred Henry Wynne Ball, (18 January 1921 – 25 January 2012) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

officer who became Deputy Commander of Strike Command.

RAF career

Educated at Campbell College in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Ball joined the Royal Air Force in 1937.Debrett's People of Today 1994 He served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

flying

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

s and commanding No. 682 Squadron, No. 542 Squadron, No. 540 Squadron and finally No. 13 Squadron, he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

twice. He was appointed Chief of Staff at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in 1968, Director General of RAF Organisation in 1971 and UK Military Representative to the Central Treaty Organization at

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

in 1975. He went on to be Deputy Commander of Strike Command in 1977 before retiring in 1979. In retirement he became an advisor to

International Computers Limited International Computers Limited (ICL) was a British computer hardware, computer software and computer services company that operated from 1968 until 2002. It was formed through a merger of International Computers and Tabulators (ICT), English Ele ...

. He died on 25 January 2012.Obituary: Alfred Henry Wynne Ball
The Times, 1 February 2012

Family

In 1942 he married Nan McDonald; they have three sons and one daughter.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Alfred 1921 births 2012 deaths People educated at Campbell College Royal Air Force air marshals British World War II fighter pilots Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force pilots of World War II