John Gillespie Magee Jr. was a citizen of the USA though I’ve always considered him Canadian—call it ‘poetic license’ if you like.
John Gillespie Magee Jr. was born in Shanghai, China to an American father [an Episcopalian Priest] and an English mother [a member of the Church Missionary Society]. Earliest formal education at an American School in China, before moving to England with his mother. His interest in poetry developed when studying at Rugby [!!] Visited the USA and unable to return to UK when war broke out. Finished his secondary education there and won a scholarship to Yale. But instead of enrolling at uni he went up to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF. Initial flight training in Canada then back to the UK.
That’s it… a bright young man, apparently principled and definitely idealistic. He was 19 when he was killed in a mid-air collision. Just a boy really.