Was Marion Aten An Ace?

[maten]

Anyone know anything about this gentleman? He passed away in the early 1960's. His book "Last Train Over Rostov Bridge" was ghost written as more of a romance novel than an actual account of his experiences in Russia, and there are those who cast doubt on his claim of 5 aircraft shot down during the Russian revolution.

I ask because I'm doing some research on him for a painting that I have in mind. He's distantly related to me and it's been difficult for me to find out anything about him beyond what is in his book. I've been to El Centro, California and seen the site of the 8-N ranch where he lived (his father, Ira Aten, was a famous Texas Ranger who established the ranch) and the local community college archives didn't have much about him. I have a few other avenues to pursue, some of which are in Canada, where he enlisted in the RAF, but any info or direction that may come from you folks would be most welcome.

[Amy]

Hi Maten: *

Don't know if this will be of much help or not, but there is an almost full-page review of Maten & Orrmont's book Last Train Over Rostov Bridge in the Summer 1964 issue of Cross & Cockade. *The book gets a good review by as being a "great read", regardless of any "improvements" to the story on Orrmont's part.

I can scan the page for you if you don't have it.

Cheers,
Amy

[Frank_Olynyk]

I no longer believe that Marion Aten is an ace. Norman Franks, in Above the Trenches, based his five victories, as far as I know, on Last Train, although he references Jackson's book on the Allied intervention in Russia, which in turn is based on Last Train.
On my last visit to the PRO I found the ORB for 47 Squadron in South Russia. It states, on August 19, 1919, that Aten had just arrived from London. Since Last Train, Jackson, and then Franks, have his five victories as occurring in the April/May 1919 period, I do not see how they can be considered other than fictional.

He died May 10, 1961.

Frank.