John Herbert Hedley [SEP] conflict
John Herbert Hedley
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.
Family Background.
John Herbert Hedley, son of Ralph Hedley and his wife Ann Dunn Hair Hedley, was born on 19 July 1887 in North Shields, Northumberland, England. He was the oldest of three surviving sons. In 1891 and 1901, John, his parents, and two brothers continued to live in North Shields. His father was employed as a shipyard timekeeper, and his mother worked as a general shopkeeper. However, Ralph Hedley (1863–1901) died at age 38, shortly