As he came of age, he received an admission at Haddehane School in 1904, where the Ottoman navy trained its new recruits. During his childhood days, he spent a lot of time in the sea. The couple eventually settled in Izmir.Īccording to Tugrul Oguzhan Yilmaz, a research fellow at the Association of Researchers on Africa, Emine gave birth to three children, including Celikten. Emine married an African man named Mister Ali, who as per many historical accounts, worked in Istanbul as a postman. In 1847, Sultan Abdul Majid enacted a law closing the slave trade centre in Istanbul's iconic Grand Bazar.Ĭelikten’s mother Lady Emine was born in Istanbul as a free woman. Many Ottoman historians have argued that Celikten's grandmother was perhaps one of the last slaves to be brought as the Ottoman government officially prohibited slave trade by the mid-19th Century. The Ottoman Empire recruited him to its air force soon after he graduated from the flying school.ĭuring World War I, Ahmet Ali Celikten (on the extreme left) standing with his colleagues at Yesilkoy Naval Aircraft School.īorn in 1883 in Turkey’s Aydin province, Celikten was the grandson of a woman who was brought to Istanbul by slave traders from Borno Emirate. Since he couldn't fly for at least two years, he proceeded to France and became a foot soldier for the French Foreign Legion.Ĭontrary to Bullard's experience, Ahmet Ali Celikten had a smooth start. Bullard however couldn't fulfill his desire of participating in World War I as a fighter pilot because of the discrimination laws against the Americans of colour. While Celikten graduated in 1915, Bullard's year of graduation is not known, but many Turkish historians argue he also completed his degree around the same time. Who was the first ever black pilot? Many historians argue that it's either an Ottoman military officer Ahmet Ali Celikten or an American aviation graduate Eugene Jacques Bullard.īullard and Celikten are believed to be peers, who both graduated from Bristol Flying School in the UK. As part of a series, TRT World explores stories of fascinating personalities of African descent whose historical contribution have been largely ignored, which includes the story of a World War I-era fighter pilot.
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