Voting Station

Wop May

Please vote to return to collections.

Aviator

The Resume

    (March 20, 1896-June 21, 1952)
    Born in Carberry, Manitoba, Canada
    Birth name was Wilfrid Reid May
    Flying ace in World War I, credited with downing 15 enemy planes
    Was being pursued by 'Red Baron' Manfred von Richtofen when Richtofen was shot down (April 21, 1918)
    Founded the barnstorming company May Airplanes (1919)
    Founded Commercial Airways to provide air service in northern Canada (1929)
    Named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1935)

Why he might be annoying:

    He got his nickname from a cousin's inability to pronounce 'Wilfrid.'
    When he volunteered for the Royal Flying Corps, his first flight resulted in the accidental destruction of his own plane and a second one.
    He credited his survival when he was chased by the Red Baron to 'my poor flying. I didn't know what I was doing myself and I do not suppose that Richthofen could figure out what I was going to do.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    In the 'race against death,' he and fellow pilot Vic Horner delivered inoculations to the remote town of Little Red River, Alberta, in time to prevent a diphtheria outbreak (January 1-2, 1929).
    He was hired by the Edmonton police department to fly detectives to the town of Edson to capture wanted murderer John Larson, the first time an airplane had been used in a manhunt (September, 1919).
    During another manhunt, for 'Mad Trapper' Albert Johnson, he flew a Mountie who had been shot by Johnson 125 miles to a doctor, saving the officer's life (February 17, 1932).
    He was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the US Army Air Forces for training para-rescue teams during World War II.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 26 Votes: 46.15% Annoying