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Postmaster G.H. Rocke (left) and pilot Wop May in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Courtesy of National Archives of Canada, C-8833 |
Wop May was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during the First World War and was also famous as a bush pilot: in 1929, he was awarded the McKee Trophy for having set up air services in remote regions. In 1919, he founded May Aeroplane Limited, Edmonton's first airline. In January 1929, he was called on for an emergency flight in Fort Vermilion, Alberta, where he delivered antitoxin to help fight a diphtheria epidemic. He also helped establish Commercial Airways, which, in 1929, was granted airmail delivery rights for the Mackenzie region. During the company's inaugural flight on December 10, 1929, Wop May was in charge of operations as well as being one of the pilots. He transported the first airmail to Goldfields, Saskatchewan in August 1935. In 1942, he was made manager for the northern development of Canadian Pacific Air Lines.