Kiffin Y. Rockwell

Title

Kiffin Y. Rockwell

Local Call Number

Military Collection. World War I Papers. Private Collections. Box 32, Kiffin Y. Rockwell Papers, French Foreign Legion and Lafayette Escadrille

MARS ID

5757.8.33 (Box)

Document Details

Title

Kiffin Y. Rockwell

Rights

The SA of NC considers this item in the public domain by U.S. law but responsibility for permissions rests with researchers.

Description

Sgt. Kiffin Yates Rockwell of Asheville, N.C. attended Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University but did not graduate from either. Within a week of the outbreak of the war in Europe in August 1914, Rockwell and his brother, Paul, departed for Europe to volunteer for service with the French army. They enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and both were soon severely wounded, Kiffin by a machine gun bullet in the thigh in May 1915, an injury that put an end to his career with the infantry. When he was sufficiently recovered, Rockwell became a charter member of the newly formed Lafayette Escadrille, a volunteer organization of American flyers, despite a complete absence of aviation experience. In May 1916, he became the first member of the unit to shoot down an enemy plane. He downed at least three others before being killed in aerial combat on September 23, 1916.

Subject

["World War, 1914-1918","World War, 1914-1918--France","France. Armee. Aeronautique militaire","World War, 1914-1918--Aerial operations, French"]

Index Terms

Rockwell, Kiffin Yates, 1892-1916;

Local Call Number

Military Collection. World War I Papers. Private Collections. Box 32, Kiffin Y. Rockwell Papers, French Foreign Legion and Lafayette Escadrille

MARS ID

5757.8.33 (Box)

Time Period

["(1900-1929) North Carolina's industrial revolution and World War One"]

Digital Collections

["World War I"]

Source Collections

["World War I Papers. Military Collection. State Archives of North Carolina"]

Physical Characteristics

1 photograph;

Format

["Photographs"]

Hosted By

["State Archives of North Carolina"]

Identifier

MilColl_WWI_PC_Rockwell_Kiffin_Y_photograph

Document Details

Image Details

Document Details

Image Details