Though a US citizen, he joined the Royal Flying Corps (reorganized in 1918 as the Royal Air Force in 1918) in Canada in November 1917. Though he did not make it to Europe until the summer of 1918 and did not take part in the combat on the continent during WWI, he did participate in combat in the Russian Civil War between 1918 and 1920 as part of an RAF unit sent to support the "White" Russian Army in South Russia, scoring 5 victories in the air against the "Red" Air Force. For that service, he was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross.
He apparently remained in the RAF until 1927, rising to the rank of captain. I say "apparently" because this latter information comes from internet sources, and such sources can often be unreliable. I also say "apparently" because the RAF quickly devised its own unique rank structure which abjured the use of Army rank titles such as captain, though I'm not quite sure when this particular changeover was made.
In any event, Aten left the RAF and returned to the US around 1927 to take over the Aten family farm in Imperial Valley where he lived until his death in 1961. Not long after that, his book about his adventures in South Russia, "Last Train Over Rostov Bridge," was published posthumously. It is a great read, and I recommend enthusiastically. Also, I am given to understand that the book was recently reissued in paperback and that it is heavily annotated with a wealth of additional information added to give historical context to events portrayed therein.
Courtesy of Raymond A. Mann
He apparently remained in the RAF until 1927, rising to the rank of captain. I say "apparently" because this latter information comes from internet sources, and such sources can often be unreliable. I also say "apparently" because the RAF quickly devised its own unique rank structure which abjured the use of Army rank titles such as captain, though I'm not quite sure when this particular changeover was made.
In any event, Aten left the RAF and returned to the US around 1927 to take over the Aten family farm in Imperial Valley where he lived until his death in 1961. Not long after that, his book about his adventures in South Russia, "Last Train Over Rostov Bridge," was published posthumously. It is a great read, and I recommend enthusiastically. Also, I am given to understand that the book was recently reissued in paperback and that it is heavily annotated with a wealth of additional information added to give historical context to events portrayed therein.
Courtesy of Raymond A. Mann
Though a US citizen, he joined the Royal Flying Corps (reorganized in 1918 as the Royal Air Force in 1918) in Canada in November 1917. Though he did not make it to Europe until the summer of 1918 and did not take part in the combat on the continent during WWI, he did participate in combat in the Russian Civil War between 1918 and 1920 as part of an RAF unit sent to support the "White" Russian Army in South Russia, scoring 5 victories in the air against the "Red" Air Force. For that service, he was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross.
He apparently remained in the RAF until 1927, rising to the rank of captain. I say "apparently" because this latter information comes from internet sources, and such sources can often be unreliable. I also say "apparently" because the RAF quickly devised its own unique rank structure which abjured the use of Army rank titles such as captain, though I'm not quite sure when this particular changeover was made.
In any event, Aten left the RAF and returned to the US around 1927 to take over the Aten family farm in Imperial Valley where he lived until his death in 1961. Not long after that, his book about his adventures in South Russia, "Last Train Over Rostov Bridge," was published posthumously. It is a great read, and I recommend enthusiastically. Also, I am given to understand that the book was recently reissued in paperback and that it is heavily annotated with a wealth of additional information added to give historical context to events portrayed therein.
Courtesy of Raymond A. Mann
He apparently remained in the RAF until 1927, rising to the rank of captain. I say "apparently" because this latter information comes from internet sources, and such sources can often be unreliable. I also say "apparently" because the RAF quickly devised its own unique rank structure which abjured the use of Army rank titles such as captain, though I'm not quite sure when this particular changeover was made.
In any event, Aten left the RAF and returned to the US around 1927 to take over the Aten family farm in Imperial Valley where he lived until his death in 1961. Not long after that, his book about his adventures in South Russia, "Last Train Over Rostov Bridge," was published posthumously. It is a great read, and I recommend enthusiastically. Also, I am given to understand that the book was recently reissued in paperback and that it is heavily annotated with a wealth of additional information added to give historical context to events portrayed therein.
Courtesy of Raymond A. Mann
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