A statue of Captain Albert Ball stands in Nottingham Castle Gardens, in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

, England. It comprises a bronze sculpture by Henry Poole which depicts the British fighter pilot Captain

Albert Ball Albert Ball, (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a British fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, and remained its fourth-highest scorer b ...

VC DSO & Two Bars, MC accompanied by an allegorical female figure, standing on a stone pedestal by the architect Edwin Alfred Rickards. The memorial was unveiled in 1921, was

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

at Grade II in 1972, upgraded to Grade I in 2017.

Background

was born in Nottingham in 1896. His father, also

, was a businessman and local politician. In September 1914, soon after the outbreak of the First World War, Ball enlisted in the 2/7th (Robin Hood) Battalion of the

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

(Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) and he was quickly commissioned as a second lieutenant. After some private flying tuition, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and qualified as a pilot in January 1916. He flew reconnaissance missions in France from February 1916 with No. 13 Squadron. He moved to a fighter unit, No. 11 Squadron, in May 1916 and soon recorded his first aerial victory. Within 12 months, he achieved 44 confirmed "kills", and a further 25 unconfirmed. Ball became famous for his martial achievements, and he was described by Germany aviator

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...

(the "Red Baron") as "by far the best English flying man". He was promoted to acting captain in August 1916, and moved to No. 60 Squadron. He was formally recognised by the award of the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

, and the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

with two Bars. Ball was killed when his aircraft crashed on 7 May 1917. A month later, he was posthumously awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

. Ball was also created a Chevalier of the French Légion d’Honneur, and the Russian

Order of St George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

(4th Class). Ball was buried in the communal cemetery at Annœullin in France. His father bought the field where his aircraft crashed and erected a separate memorial there.

Design

The bronze memorial statue by Henry Poole stands in the grounds of the Grade I listed

Nottingham Castle Nottingham Castle is a Stuart Restoration-era ducal mansion in Nottingham, England, built on the site of a Norman castle built starting in 1068, and added to extensively through the medieval period, when it was an important royal fortress and ...

, amidst a number of other Grade I listed buildings and structures. Also nearby are a Grade II listed war memorial sundial, and a Grade II listed war memorial obelisk. The memorial was commissioned by

Nottingham City Council Nottingham City Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. The council is led by David Mellen, of ...

and funded by public subscription. It includes a life-size statue of Ball, depicted in a standing position, wearing in his flying uniform, with his hands on his belt, looking up towards the sky. Behind him stands an robed woman standing on clouds: this allegorical figure representing "Air" is resting one hand on Ball's shoulder and pointing upwards with the other hand. The composition draws on Christian depictions of the

raising Raising may refer to: *Raising (linguistics), a syntactic construction *Raising (phonetics), a sound change *Raising (metalworking), a metalworking technique *Barn raising, a community event to erect the wooden framework for a building *Fundraising ...

of saints, drawn upwards towards heaven. Memorial to Albert Ball V

The sculpture stands on a Portland stone plinth, designed by the architect Edwin Alfred Rickards, two sides of which have relief carvings depicting an S.E.5a biplane, one flying over trenches and the other flying above clouds. The other two sides bear inscriptions within cartouches. Each inscription includes a reference to the motto of the nascent RAF, " Per ardua ad astra" ("By labour to the stars"). One inscription reads: "CAPT. ALBERT BALL V.C. / 7TH ROBIN HOOD BATTALION SHERWOOD FORESTERS / ATTACHED ROYAL FLYING CORPS, DSO (2 BARS) MC / CROIX DE CHEVALIER, LEGION D'HONNEUR, / ORDER OF ST GEORGE (RUSSIAN) / HON. FREEMAN OF THE CITY OF NOTTINGHAM / PER ARDUA AD ASTRA". And the other inscription reads "IN THE AIR / HE GAVE MOST CONSPICUOUS / AND GALLANT SERVICE TO / HIS COUNTRY AND WAS KILLED / IN ACTION FIGHTING GLORIOUSLY / MAY 7TH 1917 AGED 20 YEARS / PER ARDUA AD ASTRA". The plinth rests on a tiered grey granite base, with three lobed steps. The base has bronze fittings, including eternal flames, a feather, a laurel wreath, and architectural feet. The memorial was unveiled by Air Marshal Sir

Hugh Trenchard Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, (3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956) was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force. He has been described as the "Father of the ...

on 8 September 1921. Trenchard had served as commander of the Royal Flying Corps in France from August 1915 to January 1918, and then Chief of the Air Staff. The ceremony included a flypast by a squadron of RAF aircraft. A bronze cast of Poole's model for the statue is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London, donated by Ball's parents in 1929. File:Albert Ball portrait.jpg, Photograph, 1917? File:Original Gravemarker of Albert Ball.jpg, Original German marker erected at Ball's grave in Annœullin File:VCAlbertBallGrave.jpg, Grave site in Annœullin, France File:Albert ball medals.jpg, Ball's medals, displayed in Nottingham Castle

References

* {{NHLE, num=1246929 , desc=Statue of Captain Albert Ball, Nottingham Castle, accessdate=24 November 2018
Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway

The Telegraph, 22 June 2014 * ttps://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/201984 Statue of Captain Albert Ball, 30 metres North East of Castle Museum War Memorials Online,
Capt A Ball VC DSO and 2 Bars MC
War Memorials Register, Imperial War Museum
Statue of Albert Ball, by Henry Poole
National Portrait gallery British military memorials and cemeteries Bronze sculptures in England Buildings and structures completed in 1921 Grade I listed buildings in Nottinghamshire Grade I listed monuments and memorials Monuments and memorials in England Statues in England World War I memorials in England

Background

Design

See also

References