Captain Albert Ball vc, memorial in City of Nottingham

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What is recorded here

A bronze statue of Captain Albert Ball VC, a renowned British fighter pilot from Nottingham who died in World War I, stands in Nottingham Castle Gardens. Commissioned by the city council and funded by public subscription, the memorial was unveiled in 1921 and upgraded to Grade I in 2017. The statue depicts Ball in his flying uniform, with an allegorical figure representing 'Air' behind him. The memorial was designed by Henry Poole and Edwin Alfred Rickards, and includes inscriptions referencing Ball's military honors and the motto of the Royal Air Force. Notably, the statue inspired the song 'Brave Captain' by Big Big Train.

Why it was made

The statue was created to honor Captain Albert Ball VC, a local hero who achieved 44 confirmed 'kills' during World War I and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

People and events

Captain Albert Ball VC was born in Nottingham in 1896 and enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) soon after the outbreak of World War I. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and became famous for his martial achievements, earning several military honors before being killed in action in May 1917.

How it worked

The statue stands on a Portland stone plinth with relief carvings depicting an S.E.5a biplane and inscriptions within cartouches, including references to Ball's military honors and the motto of the Royal Air Force.

What remains

The statue stands in Nottingham Castle Gardens amidst other Grade I listed buildings and structures. A bronze cast of the model for the statue is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Why it mattered

Public subscription turned a Nottingham airman's death into a city memorial. Poole's pairing of Ball with the figure of Air records both the person honoured and the new form of warfare in which he died.