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Son of David and Christina May Mail. Husband of Dorys Kathleen Mail, of Johannesburg. Born Estcourt, Natal. Educated at Estcourt Government School; father ran a grocery business under the name of Mail and Trotter. Enlisted 1914 serving with South African Field Telegraph Corps; 1915-16 in ops with East African Expeditionary Force as despatch rider; 1916 transfer to Royal Flying Corps and later to Royal Air Force serving as Captain flying on ops in the Middle East; one newspaper article states that he was twice shot down; MID 1919; discharged February 1919. In 1919 James Mail formed Aerial Stunts in Durban. In 1920 he formed and operated Natal Aviation Syndicate with DH6B, known as the 'Baby Tank', that was purchased from obsolete war stores and restored in a backyard in Bulawayo. He served in the RAF Reserve Augusr 1927 - July 1931. In 1928 he joined the Aircraft Operating Company and carried out the 60,000 square miles aerial survey of Northern Rhodesia, mainly on the Zambesi mostly with a DH9. He formed 'Mail's Aerial Service - Bulawayo' and flew Cirrus Moth 'Sir Charles' on A.O.C. Special Tour in Northern Rhodesia and also ran the first inter-city aerial mail service between Bulawayo and Salisbury. On 12 March 1930 he was admitted as a member of The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators of the British Empire. In 1931 James joined Imperial Airways and flew Argosy aircraft on London-Paris run. Also as British Air Transport he flew Puss Moth G-ABIU from Croydon to Bulawayo taking about 8 days for the trip. This aircraft operated on charter work in Rhodesia and South Africa and in March 1932 was re-registered as ZS-ADO under the banner of Douglas Mail Air Transport. He was also Service Manager of D.H.Saker & Co in Johannesburg. In 1937 he was appointed Chief Pilot of African Flying Services at Grand Central Aerodrome where he instructed on Tiger Moths, Buckers, Dragon Rapides, Wacos, and Fairchilds. He flew the DH twin-engine Rapide aircraft for Kerr's record breaking parachute jump on 1 December 1937 from 22,395 feet. This jump had been organised to raise money to help a paralysed man regain his health. Then in 1939 in a Dragon Rapide he carried out the first aerial crop spraying against bagworm infestation of wattle in the Cedera plantations outside Pietermaritzburg.