John Herbert Hedley | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Luckiest Man Alive, Mr 4 Leaf Clover |
Born | North Shields, Northumberland, England | 19 July 1887
Died | 1 April 1977 Los Angeles, California, United States | (aged 89)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service | British Army Royal Air Force |
Years of service | 1914–1918 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | Northumberland 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 |
Awards | French Croix de Guerre |
Other work | Accountant, 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.