Bud Bert Bogart hales from Billings, Montana. You know, ""Big Sky Country" So after 1910, when word made it out there that some Easterners had a machine to git you up into the sky, hell, it was just a matter of time 'fore Bud got the itch. Come '14, he was disappointed in his Government about not fighting the Good Fight right off, but he wasn't gonna let that hold him. We'll let his "biographer" pick it up here:

"Bud signed up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, itching for adventure. He joined the 28th Battalion (Northwest) of the Canadian Expeditionary Force under a Lt-Col Embury. They began basic training in Winnipeg, Manitoba and shipped out to England on 29 May 1915. They trained on the Salisbury Plain, where he saw many RFC machines flying from Netheravon and Upavon. While there he bought a motorcycle, falls off it, and breaks a leg. Poor Bud missed much of his training due to the injury.

Ed. note: in r/l a few years back, I had a bike, got clipped and broke my leg. Raine, how'd you know that?)

On 18 September 1915, Bud’s unit shipped out to France as part of 6th Infantry Bde, 2nd Canadian Division and Bud was left behind.

Bud, however, anticipated this and made plans. While on two weeks’ leave that summer, he headed for Hendon (North London) and paid for flying instructions at the Hall School of Flying. On 22 Aug 1915 he earned his Royal Aero Club certificate on a Hall biplane. In September he applied for and was accepted for transfer to the RFC. He completed his initial classroom instruction at Oxford and his advanced training at the Central Flying School at Upavon.

He earned his wings in early February 1916 and was shipped to the pilot pool at St-Omer. After about a week there he was finally posted – 18 Sqn at Treizennes / Aire. "

He wasn't sure what would be trickier, getting the hang of the bird, or how to pronounce that town.