pic from: www.billybishop.net/bishop1.html


Billy Bishop 1892, 1956
Born in Florida, USA
Victories: 72


Billy bishop applied for the royal military collage of Canada in 1911 and was accepted in the august of that year. He then spent the next three year as a cadet. By 1914 due to his miss behaviour he was almost expelled from the collage when the war broke in. Due to the consequence of war bishop was commissioned in Sep 30th in Toronto. Then he returns for an academic year in 1914-1915. Spite his poor academic he was given a rank and worthy of trust. During his arrival to the RMC Bishop was promoted Lance-Corporal and three weeks after that was promoted Corporal.

In Sep 1914 bishop reserved a conduct assessment witch read fairly good despite his academic failure and miss behaviour witch almost lead to explosion. Though he was no the best cadet in the RMC though he was not the worst either.

DO to his pneumonia bishop was transform to the 7th Canadian Mounted Rifles. In consequence of his dislike towards the place he applied for the RFS as an observer instead of waiting for his acceptance as a pilot. He then applied for France.

Text placed in [ ] are excerpts from www.billybishop.net/ bishop1.html.

[i[[In July 1915 Bishop applied for transfer to the RFC as an observer, rather than wait for possible acceptance as a pilot, and on 1 September reported to 21 (Training) Squadron at Netheravon for elementary air instruction. The squadron was soon ordered to move to France, and on 1 January 1916 it arrived at Boisdinghem Airfield, near St Omer equipped with RE7 Reconnaissance aircraft.]

[Operations started almost immediately, with Bishop gaining his baptism of enemy fire. His progress was punctuated with numerous accidents and injuries - Bishop always seemed accident prone throughout his life - including an injured knee sustained during a crash landing. Bishop refused medical attention which might have meant his withdrawal from flying duties. His last operational sortie as an observer came on 2 May 1916 and that same day he returned to England on leave. Bishop's injured knee still gave him trouble and he was admitted to hospital and remained unfit for operational flying until September, when he went home to Canada for convalescent leave. On his return to England, Bishop applied for pilot training, was accepted, and reported to Braesenose College, Oxford on 1 October 1916 for initial ground training.]

After in November bishop went to the Central Flying School at Up Avon to attend intro to pilot but was proved to be a bad pupil a word from.

With a lot of determination Bishop finally got his "wings" and the advanced night flying training. Then he was put on S7, home defence

On 1917 march ninth Bishops request was finally answered and Bishop was transferred to the Filescamp Farm, base of 60 Squadron.


Picture from: www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/nieuport.html

[60 Squadron was equipped with single seat Nieuport 17 Scouts -- tiny biplanes powered by a rotary engine, and armed with a single Lewis machine gun mounted above the top wing. Highly manoeuvrable, the Nieuport was an excellent combat aeroplane for the period. Its light weight and response to controls soon proved too delicate for Bishop's heavy-handed method of flying and after several damaging landings, he finally crashed while landing on 24 March - virtually at the feet of several visiting staff officers including his brigade commander. Later that day he was told that he was being posted back to England for further flying instruction, but was permitted to remain with 60 Squadron until a replacement pilot was found.]


On April 25th 1917 Bishop was promoted captain due his several victories and was given commander of flight C. By the end of the month bishop had a total of 17 victories, and was awarded with the Military Cross.

[June 2, 1917 commenced in a depressing drizzle of rain and low mist and when Bishop was called at 3 am he simply pulled his flying suit on over his pyjamas, sipped a cup of tea, and then made his way out to the squadron hangars. Walter Bourne had already wheeled out Bishop's blue-nosed Nieuport, B1566, and had its engine run up and ticking over. Bishop climbed into the snug cockpit and took off at 3:57 am. Climbing hard into driving rain which smothered his windscreen, Bishop headed towards Arras, then turned and followed the dimly visible Cambrai road below. Flying in the cloud and mist, Bishop soon became lost and, on emerging from cloud found himself over an apparently deserted German airfield.]

[Disappointed, Bishop continued through the low cloud. He soon found himself above a second aerodrome - Esnes. On the airfield were the mechanics and pilots of Jagdstaffel 20 preparing to continue their move from Guise Aerodrome to Montkerke. Six Albatross Scouts and a two-seat machine were already out of their hangars, their engines being run up.]

[Dropping to 200 feet, Bishop started his first attack along the line of aircraft, spraying bullets as he streaked across the field through a barrage of small arms fire from the alert ground defences. Lifting over the edge of the airfield, the Nieuport executed a tight banked turn for its reverse run, and Bishop saw that one Albatross pilot had already started to taxi for take-off. Concentrating on this machine, Bishop fired just 15 rounds as the Albatross rose to a height of ten feet, it crashed.]

[As the first German crashed, a second Albatross started its take-off run and Bishop fired 30 rounds at it. This Albatross crashed into a tree. Bishopsaw two aircraft taking off together]
"15 rounds?! Think about it shooting down a plane with only 15 shots. That?s good"
[Bishop finished his drum into the first one, causing it to crash about 300 yards from the aerodrome.]
[Bishop then changed drums and went after the 4th German Albatross. He emptied his Lewis into the German with no apparent effect, other than theGerman decided that any place was better than being near the Nieuport, and the German left.]

[Bishop then decided it was time to leave and headed back toward friendly lines as fast as he could go.]

[As he headed westwards Bishop spotted a formation of four enemy aircraft some 2,000 feet above him. Unarmed and alone, Bishop did his utmost to avoid being seen and dived at full power for the trench lines; crossing these amidst a flurry of anti-aircraft fire which added further damage to his already bullet-ridden aircraft.]

He finally reached Filescamp aerodrome by about 5:40 am. He then signalled his mechanics with a flare shot and signal three with his figures as in three air planes shot down. Bishop was congratulated by all the RFC and [General Trenchard, General-Officer Commanding Royal Flying Corps who definedBishop's solo sortie as, "the greatest single show of the war" .]

In July 28th bishop was flying with the new SE5 when he was attacked by a German two seat and was hit in the engine. The engine then went in to flames and as Bishop was trying to keep away from the flames he crashed. Luckily he survived the crash and was rescued by some passing infantryman.
Later in August 9th Bishop was told that he was going to be given the Victoria Cross and was going to be posted instructor in England. He then left the squadron 60 with total official victories of 50 in Sept 1st 1917.

Bishop returned to Canada for a extended leave and got married with this fianc? on Oct 17 1917. Many of the local citizens came by to see the marriage of a hero.
When Bishop returned to England he was promoted to major and was given command of a new squadron, the 85th, at Hounslow, Middlesex.

[Given a reasonably free hand in selecting his own pilots, Bishop gathered together a hybrid collection of British, Canadian, New Zealand and American individuals. Equipped initially with Sopwith Dolphin scouts, 85th squadron was re-equipped with the latest versions of SE-5A, and left for Petit Synthe, France on 22 May 1918. On 27 May, Bishop shot a German two-seater to pieces east of Passchendaele. Next day he destroyed two Albatross scouts east of Ypres to bring his tally to 53.]


By June 04th bishop had shot down 9 more planes and on June 8th he was ordered to move his squadron to St 0mer. 7days later on the 15th he shot down a Pfalz DIII and if that?s not enough he later on the 17th destroyed 2 more.
"He's not called hero for nothing you know".
On the 19th Bishop decided to take one last look at the war. Just five minutes after take of He encountered five germen planes four Pfalz DIIIs and one LVG two-seater.
He was successfully to bring them down to bringing his tally to 72 planes and 3 balloons.

On 1918 in London Bishop was given [Distinguished Flying Cross to Bishop] for 25 victories in 12 days. [And shortly after the French governmentdecorated Bishop with its Croix de Guerre avec Palmes, and made Bishop a Chevalier de Legion d'Honneur.]


[On his return to England, Bishop was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on 5 August and posted as the Officer Commanding-designate of the Canadian Air Force Section of the General Staff, Headquarters Overseas Military Forces of Canada. The Canadian Air Force was organized as a two squadron fighting force for service in France but was still not fit for operations by October 1918, and Bishop was sent to Canada to report on progress. He was aboard a ship bringing him back to England when news of the armistice with Germany was received. On 31 December Bishop was demobilised from the Canadian Expeditionary Force and returned to Canada.]

In Canada Bishop was offers vice president of the McColl Frontenac Oil Company and in 1931 was appointed honorary Group Captain in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

10 August 1938 bishop was appointed Air Marshall at the Air Advisory Committee.
In 1944 Bishop asked to be laid of his post because of his illness.

[Returning to the oil business in 1945, Bishop eventually retired in 1952, and in the early hours of 11 September 1956, Bishop died peacefully inhis sleep at his Palm Beach, Florida home.]

By: Ahmad Taheri
Special thanks to www.billybishop.net/bishop1.html
Without your help I would not be able to make this article as good as it is.
This is just one way that Canadian youth can learn about the great heroes of Canada who fought for our safety.

you so cool