Lieutenant Arthur Herbert Keith Russell was born on June 12, 1893 to parents Richard and Isabel Russell.

Russell attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute and the University of Toronto before joining the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Service in September of 1917 as a W/T (wireless telegraphy) Operator.  He transferred to the Royal Air Force where he trained as a sea plane pilot and served with 67 Wing until he was struck off strength in January of 1919.  During the Second World War Russell served as an Air Commodore in the Royal Canadian Air Force’s technical training program, and was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1946.

Content note:
The collection consists of one letter written  from Italy in 1918 while serving with the RAF.

External link:
Russell’s RAF service record (Serv/Reg# PJ42812) can be downloaded for free from The National Archive in Britain (requires free registration).