At a recent unveiling, Nottingham City Transport unveiled its 24th named bus – Albert Ball V.C. – 101 years to the day he died in action, during World War I on 7th May 1917.
The unveiling took place near his home on Lenton Road, where the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and members of Albert’s family unveiled a Nottingham Civic Society plaque in his honour in front of invited guests, including representatives from the Armed Forces and the four-legged Mercian Regimental Mascot, Private Derby XXXII.
Born and raised in Nottingham, Albert joined the Sherwood Foresters at the outbreak of the First World War and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in October 1914. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps the following year and flew reconnaissance missions before being posted in May that year to a fighter unit.
He accrued many aerial victories, earning three Distinguished Service Orders, the Military Cross and the Victoria Cross. He was the first ace to become a British national hero and was tragically killed in action on May 7th, 1917, aged 20
Albert Ball is third member of the military to have a bus named in their honour by Nottingham City Transport, with Sean Upton and Kieron Hill – who both died on duty in Afghanistan in 2009 – also remembered with their own bus.
The bus named in honour of Albert though goes to 426, a silver spare bio-gas ADL Enviro 400 CBG City type, seen here arriving at Nottingham Station bus stop on Carrington Street with a slightly late running Bridgford Bus 6 service to Edwalton.
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