Leaside in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Canada’s First Air Mail
⎯⎯⎯
La Première poste aérienne du Canada
Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 1, 2026
1. Canada’s First Air Mail side of marker
At 10:12 a.m. on June 24, 1918, Captain Brian Peck of the Royal Air Force and mechanic Corporal C. W Mathers took off from the Bois Franc Polo Grounds in Montreal in a JN-4 Curtiss two-seater airplane. They had with them the first bag of mail to be delivered by air in Canada. Wind and rain buffetted the small plane and forced it to make refuelling stops at Kingston and Deseronto. Finally, at 4:55 p.m., Peck and Mathers landed at the Leaside Aerodrome (immediately southwest of here). The flight had been arranged by a civilian organization, the Aerial League of the British Empire to demonstrate that aviation was the way of the future.
À 10 h 12 le 24 juin 1918, le capitaine Brian Peck de la Royal Air Force et le mécanicien caporal C. W. Mathers décollent du terrain de Polo de Bois Franc à Montreal à bord d'un biplace JN-4 Curtiss. Ils emportent avec eux le premier sac de courrier transporté par avion au Canada. Le petit avion secoué par le vent et la pluie est obligé de faire deux escales, à Kingston et à Deseronto, pour se ravitailler en
this page online
Erected 1958 by Ontario Heritage Foundation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Communications. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 24, 1918.
Location. 43° 43.023′ N, 79° 21.685′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in Leaside. It is at the intersection of Brentcliffe Road and Broadway Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Brentcliffe Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 76 Brentcliffe Road, Toronto ON M4G 2L3, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Toronto and on the Golden Horseshoe. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 1, 2026
2. La Première poste aérienne du Canada side of marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Leaside: A Railway Town (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); “Coca-Cola” by Walter Yarwood (approx. 1.6 kilometers away); Agnes Macphail (approx. 1.7 kilometers away); J. Tuzo Wilson (approx. 1.8 kilometers away); The Taylor Cemetery (approx. 2.8 kilometers away); Kay Gardner Beltline Park (approx. 3 kilometers away); “The Church Built in a Day” (approx. 3.2 kilometers away); The Resting Place of Pioneers (approx. 3.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toronto.
Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 1, 2026
3. Canada’s First Air Mail / La Première poste aérienne du Canada Marker
1918
4. Canada’s First Air Mail flight, June 24, 1918
Source: Ingenium (public domain)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 2, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
