Billy Bishop
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Air Marshal Billy Bishop VC, CB, DSO, MC, DFC, ED |
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|---|---|
Lieutenant Billy Bishop c.1917
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| Birth name | William Avery Bishop |
| Nickname(s) | "Billy", "Bish" |
| Born |
8 February 1894 Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 11 September 1956 (aged 62) West Palm Beach, Florida, United States |
| Allegiance |
 Dominion of Canada British Empire
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| Service/branch |
Canadian Expeditionary Force Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force
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| Years of service | 1914–1918 1936–1944 |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands held |
No. 60 Squadron RAF No. 85 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order & Bar Military Cross Distinguished Flying Cross Mentioned in Despatches Canadian Efficiency Decoration Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France) |
Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED (8 February 1894 – 11 September 1956) was a Canadian flying ace and Victoria Cross recipient of the First World War. He was officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace of the war. During the Second World War, Bishop was instrumental in setting up and promoting the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
Bishop was born in Owen Sound, Ontario. He was the third of four children born to William A. and Margaret Bishop. His father, a lawyer and graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, was the Registrar of Grey County. Attending Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute, Bishop earned the reputation of a fighter, defending himself and others easily against bullies. He avoided team sports, preferring solitary pursuits such as swimming, horse riding, and shooting. Bishop was less successful at his studies; he would abandon any subject he could not easily master, and was often absent from class.
At 15, Bishop had his first experience with aviation: he built an aircraft out of cardboard, wood crates and string, and "flew" off the roof of his three-story house. He was dug, unharmed, out of the wreckage by his sister.
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