Wilfrid R. "Wop" May
| Wilfrid Reid May | |
|---|---|
Wilfrid R. "Wop" May, c.1920.
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| Nickname(s) | Wop |
| Born |
March 20, 1896 Carberry, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | June 21, 1952 (aged 56) American Fork, Utah, US |
| Buried at | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Years of service | 1916-18 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | No. 209 Squadron RAF |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Website | http://www.wopmay.com/ |
Wilfrid Reid "Wop" May OBE DFC (March 20, 1896 – June 21, 1952), was a Canadian flying ace in the First World War and a leading post-war aviator. He was the final Allied pilot to be pursued by Manfred von Richthofen before the German ace was shot down on the Western Front in 1918. After the war, May returned to Canada, pioneering the role of a bush pilot while working for Canadian Airways in Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
May was born in Carberry, Manitoba, the son of a carriage maker. His family moved to Edmonton in 1902. On the way, they stayed with family and friends; his two-year-old cousin, Mary Lumsden, could not pronounce Wilfrid and called him "Woppie". This gave him his nickname "Wop". He attended the Edmonton High School (now Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts) while in Edmonton.
May joined the Army in February 1916 during the First World War. He rose through the enlisted ranks to sergeant and spent most of 1916 as a gunnery instructor. In 1917, his battalion, the 202nd battalion C.E.F. (Edmonton Sportsmen), was shipped to England, where he and his friend Ray Ross applied to join the Royal Flying Corps. His first flight resulted in the destruction of both his own and another aircraft; nevertheless, the RFC accepted his application, and May resigned from the Canadian Army. After initial training in London in October, he was moved to a fighter training squadron and graduated in February 1918.
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