First World War
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 applications 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.
On April 9, Lieutenant May was transferred to No. 209 Squadron of the newly-created Royal Air Force (the squadron being a unit of the Royal Naval Air Service until April 1, when the RAF was created). The squadron was commanded by another Canadian, May's former school friend Roy Brown, who had never lost a subordinate pilot. May spent most of April getting used to his Sopwith Camel.
On April 20, May fought his first aerial combat. The German Fokker Triplane crashed of its own accord during the brief fight.
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