Bishop, William Avery

known as Billy Bishop

born Feb. 8, 1894, Owen Sound, Ont., Can.

died Sept. 11, 1956, West Palm Beach, Fla., U.S.

Canadian World War I fighter ace.

Educated at the Royal Military College, he transferred from the cavalry to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915. While serving in France in 1917, he shot down 72 enemy aircraft, including 25 in one 10-day period. He was appointed to the staff of the British Air Ministry and helped form the Royal Canadian Air Force as a separate brigade. After the war he became a businessman and writer.

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▪ Canadian fighter ace

byname  Billy Bishop 

born Feb. 8, 1894, Owen Sound, Ont., Can.

died Sept. 11, 1956, West Palm Beach, Fla., U.S.

      Canadian fighter ace who shot down 72 German aircraft during World War I.

      Bishop was educated at the Royal Military College, Kingston, and went overseas during World War I with the Canadian cavalry. In 1915 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, joining the 60th Squadron in France in 1917. He soon became highly skilled in aerial combat and shot down a total of 72 enemy aircraft, including 25 in one 10-day period. He was awarded the Victoria Cross and several other decorations, and in March 1918 he was promoted to the rank of major, assuming command of the 85th Squadron.

      Promoted to lieutenant colonel, Bishop was appointed to the staff of the British Air Ministry in August 1918, and in this capacity he helped to form the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a separate service. After the war he joined one of the first commercial aviation companies in Canada, and he eventually became a businessman. In 1936 he was appointed honorary air vice-marshal of the RCAF, and he became honorary air marshal during World War II. He was the author of Winged Warfare (1917) and Flying Squad (1926).

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