Wop May Uniquely Remembered

Story and photos by John Chalmers,
CAHS National Membership Secretary
posted July 2022
Famed First World War combat pilot, Wilfrid “Wop” May, was celebrated at Wop May Night held at the Alberta Aviation Museum on 9 July 2022. Post-war, Wop May gained additional fame as a renowned bush pilot, and then served as manager of No. 2 Air Observer School (AOS) for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Edmonton during the Second World War. No. 2 AOS was housed in the wartime hangar that has been home to the Museum since its establishment 30 years ago.
Wop May Night was one of the many events and visits in the annual Historic Festival and Doors Open Festival, eight days of celebrating history, presented by the Edmonton and District Historical Society.
Spectators enjoyed several showings of a new film at the Alberta Aviation Museum. On the screen in this photo are Wop May and his wife, Vi. Seen at left is a Noordyn Norseman, restored by volunteers in the museum’s shop.
Wop May night included showings of the Edmonton-produced 22-minute film, Blind Ambition: The Wop May Story, introduced by co-director Fred Kroetsch. See an excellent video about production of the film, including comments by Fred, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3LRr33SB1A.
The film made its debut at the Edmonton International Film Festival in October 2021, and is always well received by audiences. At the Festival, the film was awarded with the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary and the Jury Award for Best Documentary Short. The title alludes to May’s loss of sight in one eye during an accident incurred while he was working after the First World  War. But he kept that as a secret and returned to flying for many years.
Jason Gold, proprietor of the brewery that created the new beer honouring Wop May, was on hand to introduce it and ensure that all attendees received a can of the beer to take home, and to enjoy a cold one during the evening. Behind Jason is a Stinson SR-9, originally flown by the Ontario Provincial Air Service from 1939-1949,  and restored by volunteers at the museum.
A special feature of Wop May night was the introduction of Wop May Hazy IPA, the newest beer from Edmonton Brewing & Malting Co. The beer’s 473 ml can features a photo of Wop as a bush pilot, and a brief story about him. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the beer goes to the Alberta Aviation Museum.

Although the evening was about Wop May, the event was also in sponsorship of YEG Honeycomb, an organization that has placed beehives at eight historic sites in Edmonton (YEG). YEG Honeycomb is a three-year pilot project sponsored by the City of Edmonton to support growth of urban beekeeping in the city.
Volunteer beekeepers check the beehive on the grounds of the Alberta Aviation Museum during Wop May Night, when visitors had a chance to speak with them and learn about work being done by YEG Honeycomb.

One of Canada’s best-known aviators, Wop May’s story continues to be told in many ways, including the film that highlights some of his greatest adventures. Co-director Frederick Kroetch was on hand to introduce the film and answer any questions about its production.

Born in Carberry MB in 1896, Wop May died while hiking with his son, Denny (1935-2021), in Utah in 1952. Wop was inducted as an original Member of Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 1974. Denny has published books about his father, spoke about him a great many times to school and other audiences, and has placed many of Wop’s possessions in museums and archive collections.  As well, Denny produced a web site about his father, to be seen at www.wopmay.com and a story about Wop is included in the Hall of Fame web site, where it can be read when you click here.
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