Canadian aviation history is not complete without Wilfrid Reid “Wop” May; air travel trailblazer, World War One flying ace, and fearless bush pilot.
Born in Manitoba in 1896, he moved with his family to Edmonton, visiting relatives along the way. His three-year-old cousin, unable to pronounce “Wilfrid,” affectionately dubbed him “Woppie,” from which came his lifelong nickname “Wop.”
In 1916 Wop joined the Canadian Army and sailed to England where he applied to the British Royal Flying Corps. Upon acceptance he was discharged from the Canadian Army. Soon a Flight Lieutenant, he transferred to Number 209 Squadron of the newly formed Royal Air Force, was given a Sopwith Camel aircraft, and stationed in France.
The day after his first sight of combat, Wop’s unit was again on patrol when they attacked a squad of German triplanes led by the infamous “Red Baron.” Wop was told by his commander not to engage due to his lack of battle experience. He circled above the fight but decided to attack a German plane doing the same, unaware that his target was cousin to the Red Baron who, seeing the attack, bore down on Wop.
It was while tailing Wop that the Red Baron’s plane was shot down and he was killed. The shooter is still disputed, though it may have been a pilot from Number 209 Squadron. What is known is that Wop May was the final soldier the Red Baron ever attacked. Wop was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1918.
After the war, Wop returned to Edmonton where he and his brother founded May Airplanes Ltd., the first registered aircraft company in Canadian history and one of the first stunt pilot companies in the world. Wop painted his name on the top wing of his plane so the crowds would know who was flying upside-down.
May Airplanes once flew out of Edmonton, a part of the Mackenzie Drainage Basin, which also encompasses the Mackenzie Valley where Simpson Air now flies. Simpson Air prospered under the operation of Ted Grant, Wop’s cousin, who shares more than just his zeal for air travel. Both men worked for the RCMP, Ted prior to owning Simpson Air and Wop recruited after the murder of a constable to pursue “the mad trapper of Rat River.”
In 1919 Wop’s services were enlisted by the Edmonton government. The police needed a detective flown to the known location of a criminal wanted for the murder of a constable. This was the first police manhunt by plane. The government still makes transportation requests, but today they regard environmental affairs, and they enlist Simpson Air.
In 1929 Wop was solicited by the Deputy Minister of Health to deliver a vaccine to Little Red River, Alberta, after a resident died from diphtheria. His flight was difficult but successful, as after immunization no more residents died from the infection. Simpson Air makes medical flights today for the same important reasons.
Canada’s modern bush pilots are successors of the incredible life and pioneering work of Wop May.