Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01

torious work in the advancement OF
aviation in the Dominion. The trophy has been
awarded in the three years since it was estab-
iished to three men who as youths few in the
planes of Great Britain along the various fronts
I'm the World War There is Capt, Harry A.
ssDoc" Oaks. D. F. c., awarded the trophy in
1927: Capt c. Punch" Dickins, d. F. c., who
received it in 1928, and Capt w. r. "Wop"
May. d. F. c.. in 1929.
There is . panel in the Memorial Chamber
of the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa which
tells the number of men who went overseas
from Canada. One sentence of that panel deals
with the air services; 5,439 men from the
Canadian forces joined the air service; 1880
Canadian-trained cadet pilots went overseas.
At the end of the war authoritative sources
show that Canada contributed one-third OF all
the airmen in the British armies
Those three, Oaks, DickinS and May, came
from among those thousands to stand out today
rs the premier flyers of the Dominion. During
the war they were not as famous although they
did their share of the grueling work and took
their share of the planes brought down. But
there were greater Ayers In the British armies
then. Four Canadians are credited with having
brought down $50 planes-Bishop. Collishaw,
Barker and McLaren-thoSe were the names
which stood out then. Three Of the four still
live. Bishop the greatest Of all British aces.
with 70 plares to his credit, IS Of which were
brought down in IL days, Is today an investment
banker flying for pleasure. Collishaw is said
TO be in the Royal Air Force, serving in Meso-
potamia or other fronts where his services may
be required.
Barker died flying while testing new plane
ut Ottawa in the Spring Of 1880
McLaren is still one Of the active flyers OF
the Canadian West, running the airmail on
the praries, fishery patrols in the Pacific, or
freighting prospectors and express into the bush
Of British Columbia.
WDoc" OAKS is trim little fellow, black
mustacne and all. You'll not find him so
much in his bush clothes as you viii in his
ONCE clothes. Either way he'll fly, and he's
flown plenty Last Spring Oaks had already
made his first 1880 fight. way and beyond the
Arctic Circle, up to Coronation Gulf and the
Coppermine River, freighting in gasoline, super
vising the erection of cabins and delivering
prospectors while that part Of the country was
still in its Winter garb and the ice was still
firm and would be till June.
But to Doc Oaks it is part of the days
work thousand-mile flight in the Barrens
is as customary for him as is his daily trip TO
his office IN Toronto when he happens to be
that far south. He has forgotten about the
dangers of SO remote q country There are
none TO listen to him. He's been flying that
country too long to think Of danger or remote
ness
Last Summer just TO close the season and
make rapid inspection trip Of the various de-
Velopments CT his company he few from Sioux
Lookout in Northern Ontario to Churchill on
Hudson Bay, kept going north to Chesterfield
inlet struck inland and north, skirted the
Arctic Coast. dropped on here and there to
zee how things we're progressing, stopped at the
Coppermine River, then worked his way SOUTH
ward as the first SHOWS arrived and landed at
winnipeg after CONF letting = 4.OO0-mile jaunt
I'm few weeks.
TT was "Doc" Oaks who was largely response
BILE for the development of commercial avia-
ton in Canada. Oaks was the man who first
went into the Red Lake gold fields back in
1925 and &c by plane, and showed the way
20 new wealth TO be won in the mining world.
His little syndicate with wartime planes was
probably the first the American Con-
tanent. and certainly the first in the British
empire TO make a profit from transport OPP
erations.
To take in a thousand dollars q day ferrying
prospectors and supplies was not out of the
ordinary. This with open cockpit ships flying