John Herbert Hedley

John Herbert Hedley
Nickname(s)The Luckiest Man Alive, Mr 4 Leaf Clover
Born(1887-07-19)19 July 1887
North Shields, Northumberland, England
Died1 April 1977(1977-04-01) (aged 89)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
 Royal Air Force
Years of service1914–1918
RankCaptain
UnitNorthumberland Fusiliers
26th Battalion (3rd Tyneside Irish)
Army Cyclist Corps
Lincolnshire Regiment (17th Labour Company)
Labour Corps
No. 62 Squadron Royal Flying Corps
No. 20 Squadron Royal Flying Corps
No. 20 Squadron RAF
AwardsFrench Croix de Guerre
Other workAccountant, speaker, lawyer, writer

Captain John Herbert Hedley (19 July 1887 – 1 April 1977) was a World War I British flying ace credited with eleven aerial victories. The observer ace claimed to have survived a bizarre flying mishap which earned him the moniker "The Luckiest Man Alive." Hedley also survived uninjured after his plane was shot down in 1918, and he became a prisoner of war. After his immigration to the United States in 1920, he became a regular on the lecture circuit, enthralling American audiences with the stories of his military service.