BALL, ALBERT (1896-1917), English airman, was born at Nottingham on Aug. 21, 1896, son of an estate agent. He entered the army in 1914 and passed into the Air Service in Oct. 1915, going out to France on Feb. 18, 1916. He proved to be one of the most daring aviators on the British side, and his activity during the operations on the Somme in the summer of that year helped to establish the superiority of the British air service there. On May 3, 1917, he destroyed 39 enemy machines, making a new record. Four days later on May 7, 1917, he was brought down by a squadron led by the German airman, von Richthofen. Ball received many war honours, including the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross.