Oxford - High Street Prior to 1956. And a Great War Canadian Flying Ace.

The Postcard

 

A postcard that was published by Alfred Savage Ltd. of Oxford.

 

The card was posted in Oxford on Tuesday the 11th. September 1956 to:

 

Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Raymond,

324, Birmingham Road,

Lickey End,

Bromsgrove,

Worcs.

 

The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

 

"Dear Mum and Dad,

Arrived safely. Very dull

here but no rain.

Got wages OK (thank

goodness!)

Am having an early

night tonight 8.45!!!!!!

so I shan't be too tired

at the weekend.

Will see you on Friday.

Love Pat xx"

 

Billy Bishop

 

So what else happened on the day that Pat posted the card?

 

Well, the 11th. September 1956 was not a good day for Billy Bishop, because he died on that day.

 

William Avery Bishop, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED, who was born on the 8th. February 1894, was a Canadian flying ace of the Great War. He was known as 'Billy' or 'Bish'.

 

He was officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian and British Empire ace of the war. He was an Air Marshal and a Victoria Cross recipient.

 

During the Second World War, Bishop was instrumental in setting up and promoting the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

 

Billy Bishop - The Early Years

 

Billy Bishop was born in Owen Sound, Ontario. His father, a lawyer, was the Registrar of Grey County. Attending Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute, Bishop earned a reputation as 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 the age of 15, Bishop built an aircraft out of cardboard, wooden crates and string, and made an attempt to fly off the roof of his three-storey house. He was dug, unharmed, out of the wreckage by his sister.

 

In 1911, Billy Bishop entered the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario, where his brother Worth had graduated in 1903. In his third year he was caught cheating.

 

Billy Bishop and The Great War

 

When the First World War broke out in 1914, Bishop left RMC and joined The Mississauga Horse cavalry regiment. He was commissioned as an officer, but was ill with pneumonia when the regiment was sent overseas.

 

After recovering, he was transferred to the 7th. Canadian Mounted Rifles, a mounted infantry unit, then stationed in London, Ontario. Bishop showed a natural ability with a gun, and excelled on the firing range: he put bullets in a target placed so far away others saw only a dot due to his seemingly "super-human" eyesight.

 

Billy Bishop's unit left Canada for England on the 6th. June 1915 on board the requisitioned cattle ship Caledonia. On the 21st. June, off the coast of Ireland, the convoy was attacked by U-boats. Two ships were sunk and 300 Canadians killed, but Bishop's ship was unharmed, arriving in Plymouth harbour on the 23rd. June.

 

Billy Bishop as an Observer

 

Bishop quickly became frustrated with the mud of the trenches and the lack of action. In July 1915, after watching an RFC aircraft return from a mission, Bishop said:

 

"It's clean up there! I'll bet you don't

get any mud or horse shit on you up

there.

If you die, at least it would be a clean

death."

 

Accordingly while in France in 1915 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. As there were no places available for pilots in the flight school, he chose to be an observer. On the 1st. September, he reported to 21 (Training) Squadron at Netheravon for elementary air instruction.

 

The first aircraft he trained in was the Avro 504, flown by Roger Neville. Bishop was adept at taking aerial photographs, and was soon in charge of training other observers with the camera.

 

The squadron was ordered to France in January 1916 and arrived at Boisdinghem airfield, near Saint-Omer, equipped with R.E.7 reconnaissance aircraft.

 

Bishop's first combat mission was as an aerial spotter for British artillery. At first, the aircraft could not get airborne until they had offloaded their bombload and machine guns. Bishop and pilot Neville flew over German lines near Boisdinghem, and when the German howitzer was found, they relayed coordinates to the British, who then bombarded and destroyed the target. In the following months, Bishop flew on reconnaissance and bombing flights, but never fired his machine guns on an enemy aircraft.

 

During one takeoff in April 1916, his engine failed, and he badly injured his knee. The injury was aggravated while on leave in London in May 1916, and Bishop was admitted to the hospital in Bryanston Square.

 

While there he met and befriended socialite Lady St. Helier, who was a friend to both Winston Churchill and Secretary for Air Lord Hugh Cecil. After Bishop's father suffered a small stroke, St. Helier arranged for Bishop to recuperate in Canada, and as a result he missed the Battle of the Somme.

 

Bishop returned to England in September 1916, and, with the influence of St. Helier, was accepted for training as a pilot at the Central Flying School at Upavon on Salisbury Plain. His first solo flight was in a Maurice Farman "Shorthorn".

 

Billy Bishop in Aerial Combat

 

In November 1916 after receiving his wings, Bishop was attached to No. 37 Squadron RFC at Sutton's Farm, Essex, flying the BE.2c. He was officially appointed to flying officer duties on the 8th. December 1916.

 

However Bishop disliked flying at night over London, searching for German airships, and he soon requested a transfer to France.

 

On the 17th. March 1917, Bishop arrived at 60 Squadron at Filescamp Farm near Arras, where he flew the Nieuport 17 fighter. At that time, the average life expectancy of a new pilot in that sector was 11 days, and German aces were shooting down British aircraft 5 to 1.

 

Bishop's first patrol on the 22nd. March was not successful. He had trouble controlling his run-down aircraft, was nearly shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and became separated from his group.

 

On the 24th. March, after crash-landing his aircraft during a practice flight in front of General John Higgins, Bishop was ordered to return to flight school at Upavon. Major Alan Scott, the new commander of 60 Squadron, convinced Higgins to let him stay until a replacement arrived.

 

The next day, Bishop claimed his first victory when his was one of four Nieuports that engaged three Albatros D.III Scouts near St Leger. Bishop shot down and mortally wounded a Lieutenant Theiller, but his engine failed in the process.

 

Bishop landed in no man's land, 300 yards (270 m) from the German front line. After running to the Allied trenches, Bishop spent the night on the ground in a rainstorm. There Bishop wrote a letter home, starting:

 

"I am writing this from a dugout

300 yards from our front line,

after the most exciting adventure

of my life."

 

General Higgins personally congratulated Bishop and rescinded his order for him to return to flight school.

 

On the 30th. March 1917, Bishop was named a flight commander with a temporary promotion to captain a few days later. On the 31st. March, he scored his second victory.

 

Bishop, in addition to the usual patrols with his squadron comrades, soon flew many unofficial "lone-wolf" missions deep into enemy territory, with the blessing of Major Scott. As a result, his total of enemy aircraft shot down increased rapidly. On 8 April, he scored his fifth victory and became an ace.

 

To celebrate, Bishop's mechanic painted the aircraft's nose blue, the mark of an ace. Former 60 Squadron member Captain Albert Ball, at that time the Empire's highest scoring ace, had had a red spinner fitted.

 

Bishop's no-holds-barred style of flying always had him at the front of the pack, leading his pilots into battle over hostile territory. Bishop soon realised that this could eventually see him shot down; after one patrol, a mechanic counted 210 bullet holes in his aircraft.

 

Billy's new method of using the surprise attack proved successful; he claimed 12 aircraft in April alone, winning the Military Cross for his participation in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

 

The successes of Bishop and his blue-nosed aircraft were noticed by the Germans, and they began referring to him as "Hell's Handmaiden". Ernst Udet called him "the greatest English scouting ace" and one Jasta had a bounty on his head.

 

On the 30th. April, Bishop survived an encounter with Jasta 11 and Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. In May, Bishop received the Distinguished Service Order for shooting down two aircraft while being attacked by four others.

 

On the 2nd. June 1917, Bishop flew a solo mission behind enemy lines to attack a German-held aerodrome, where he claimed that he shot down three aircraft that were taking off to attack him, and destroyed several more on the ground.

 

For this feat, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), although it has been suggested that he may have embellished his success. His VC (awarded on the 30th. August 1917) was one of two awarded in violation of the warrant requiring witnesses (the other being the Unknown Soldier).

 

Since the German records have been lost and the archived papers relating to the VC were lost as well, there is no way of confirming whether there were any witnesses. It seems to have been common practice at this time to allow Bishop to claim victories without requiring confirmation or verification from other witnesses.

 

In July, 60 Squadron received new Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5s, a faster and more powerful aircraft with better pilot visibility. In August 1917, Bishop passed the late Albert Ball in victories to become (temporarily) the highest scoring ace in the RFC and the third top ace of the war, behind only the Red Baron and René Fonck.

 

At the end of August 1917, Bishop was appointed as Chief Instructor at the School of Aerial Gunnery and given the temporary rank of major.

 

Billy Bishop on Leave in Canada

 

Bishop returned home on leave to Canada in the autumn of 1917, where he was acclaimed a hero and helped boost the morale of the Canadian public, who were growing tired of the war.

 

On the 17th. October 1917, Bishop married his longtime fiancée, Margaret Eaton Burden. After the wedding, he was assigned to the British War Mission in Washington, D.C. to help the Americans build an air force. While stationed there, he wrote his autobiography entitled Winged Warfare.

 

Billy Bishop's Return to Europe

 

Upon his return to England in April 1918, Bishop was promoted to major and given command of No. 85 Squadron, the "Flying Foxes". This was a newly formed squadron, and Bishop was given the freedom to choose many of the pilots.

 

The squadron was equipped with S.E.5a scout planes, and left for Petit Synthe, France, on the 22nd. May 1918. On the 27th. May, after familiarising himself with the area and the opposition, Bishop took a solo flight to the Front.

 

He downed a German observation plane in his first combat since August 1917, and followed with two more the next day. From the 30th. May to the 1st. June, Bishop downed six more aircraft, including German ace Paul Billik, bringing his score to 59 and reclaiming his top scoring Allied ace title from James McCudden, who had claimed it while Bishop was in Canada.

 

The Government of Canada was becoming increasingly worried about the effect on morale if Bishop were to be killed, so on the 18th. June he was ordered to return to England to help organise the new Canadian Flying Corps.

 

Bishop was not pleased with the order coming so soon after his return to France. He wrote to his wife: "This is ever so annoying." The order specified that he was to leave France by noon on the 19th. June. On that morning, Bishop decided to fly one last solo patrol.

 

In just 15 minutes of combat, he added another five victories to his total. He claimed to have downed two Pfalz D.IIIa scout planes, caused another two to collide with each other, and shot down a German reconnaissance aircraft.

 

On the 5th. August, Bishop was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He was on board a ship returning from a reporting visit to Canada when news of the Armistice arrived. Bishop was discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force on the 31st. December and returned to Canada.

 

By the end of the war, he had claimed some 72 air victories, including two balloons, 52 and two shared "destroyed" with 16 "out of control".

 

However some historians including Hugh Halliday and Brereton Greenhous (both of whom were official historians for the Royal Canadian Air Force) suggested that the actual total was far lower. Brereton Greenhous felt the actual total of enemy aircraft destroyed was only 27.

 

Billy Bishop's Post-War Career

 

After the war, Bishop toured the principal cities in the United States and lectured on aerial warfare.

 

He established an importing firm, Interallied Aircraft Corporation, and a short-lived passenger air service with fellow ace William Barker, but after legal and financial problems, and a serious crash, the partnership and company were dissolved.

 

In 1921, Bishop and his family moved to Great Britain, where he established various business interests connected with flying. In 1928, he was the guest of honour at a gathering of German air aces in Berlin and was made an Honorary Member of the Association.

 

In 1929 he became chairman of British Air Lines. However, the family's wealth was wiped out in the crash of 1929, and they had to move back to Canada, where he became vice-president of the McColl-Frontenac Oil Company.

 

Billy Bishop and The Second World War

 

In January 1936, Bishop was appointed the first Canadian air vice-marshal. Shortly after the outbreak of war in 1939, he was promoted to the rank of Air marshal in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

 

In January 1940 he was appointed Director of Recruiting for the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was so successful in this role that many applicants had to be turned away. Bishop created a system for training pilots across Canada and became instrumental in setting up and promoting the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which trained over 167,000 airmen in Canada during the Second World War.

 

In 1942, he appeared as himself in the film Captains of the Clouds, a Hollywood tribute to the RCAF.

 

By 1944 the stress of the war had taken a serious toll on Bishop's health, and he resigned his post in the RCAF to return to private enterprise in Montreal, Quebec, before retiring in 1952. His son later commented that he looked 70 years old on his 50th. birthday in 1944.

 

However, Bishop remained active in the aviation world, predicting the phenomenal growth of commercial aviation postwar. His efforts to bring some organisation to the nascent field led to the formation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal.

 

He wrote a second book at this time, Winged Peace, advocating international control of global air power.

 

With the outbreak of the Korean War, Bishop again offered to return to his recruitment role, but he was in poor health and was politely refused by the RCAF. He died in his sleep on the 11th. September 1956, at the age of 62, while wintering in Palm Beach, Florida.

 

Billy's funeral service was held with full Air Force Honours in Toronto. The body was cremated and the ashes interred in the family plot in Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, Ontario. A memorial service for Air Marshal Bishop was held in St Paul's Church, Bristol, England, on the 19th. September 1956.

 

Billy Bishop's Honours and Tributes

 

Billy Bishop's decorations (now part of Canadian War Museum collection) include the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order with Bar, the Military Cross, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

 

The Victoria Cross

 

The citation for Billy's VC, published in The London Gazette on the 11th. August 1917, read:

 

'For most conspicuous bravery, determination,

and skill. Captain Bishop, who had been sent

out to work independently, flew first of all to an

enemy aerodrome; finding no machines about,

he flew on to another aerodrome about three

miles southeast, which was at least 12 miles the

other side of the line.

Seven machines, some with their engines running,

were on the ground. He attacked these from about

fifty feet, and a mechanic, who was starting one of

the engines, was seen to fall.

One of the machines got off the ground, but at a

height of 60 feet, Captain Bishop fired 15 rounds

into it at very close range, and it crashed to the

ground. A second machine got off the ground, into

which he fired 30 rounds at 150 yards range, and it

fell into a tree.

Two more machines then rose from the aerodrome.

One of these he engaged at a height of 1,000 feet,

emptying the rest of his drum of ammunition. This

machine crashed 300 yards from the aerodrome,

after which Captain Bishop emptied a whole drum

into the fourth hostile machine, and then flew back

to his station.

Four hostile scouts were about 1,250 feet above him

for about a mile of his return journey, but they would

not attack. His machine was very badly shot about by

machine gun fire from the ground'.

 

Billy Bishop's childhood home was re-purposed into the Billy Bishop Home and Museum in 1987. The museum is located in Owen Sound, Ontario. The museum has exhibits relating to the family, Bishop himself and veterans. There is also a permanent exhibit with information on Bishop at the Grey Roots Museum and Archives, just south of Owen Sound.

 

Controversy Associated With Billy Bishop

 

In 1983 there was a CBC Television documentary called The Kid Who Couldn't Miss, produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The show, a "docudrama" combining known history for credibility along with fictitious "mock interviews" with actors portraying Bishop and others, suggested that Bishop faked his famous attack on the German aerodrome.

 

In one particularly contentious scene, his mechanic claims that the damage to his fighter was confined to a small circle in a non-critical area, implying that Bishop had landed his aircraft off-field, shot holes in it, and flown home with claims of combat damage.

 

In reality, his mechanic was his biggest supporter, and the scene was entirely fictitious. The mechanic insisted that Bishop had not fabricated the damage.

 

After years of controversy over Bishop's record, mainly because very few of his claimed victories were witnessed by anyone else or could be confirmed from the few surviving German records, the show led to an inquiry by the Canadian government in 1985.

 

The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology discredited the documentary, saying that it was an unfair and inaccurate portrayal of Bishop. There is some dispute about whether Bishop or Mick Mannock had the highest score of any British Empire First World War fighter ace. The Canadian Encyclopedia states:

 

"Investigation by a Senate sub-committee exposed

a number of minor errors in this apparent 'documentary'

and confirmed that statements had been wrongly

attributed and incidents shifted in time for dramatic effect. However, the senators were unable to demonstrate that Bishop's claims were valid, and consequently recommended only that the film be labelled as docu-drama".

 

Some of Bishop's other claims have also been challenged. While combat reports and claims of both sides are littered with well-intentioned errors and accidental duplicate claims, there are two phases of Bishop's life in which German records can provide no supporting evidence.

 

In his book on Victoria Cross airmen of the First World War, author Alex Revell quotes aviation historian Philip Markham's view about German records of the events of the 2nd. June 1917 (the day of Bishop's VC award):

 

"Not a shred of evidence

to support Bishop's claims."

 

Referring to Bishop's claims in early to mid-1918, Revell says another aviation historian, Ed Ferko, carried out extensive research on German records in 1987. Revell says that:

 

"Ferko failed to match a single victory

claim made by Bishop against a known

German loss for the day, time or place

in question."

 

However, distinguished First World War aviation historian Peter Kilduff says in his biography (Billy Bishop VC: Lone Wolf Hunter) that Bishop may have had as many as 21 matches in piecemeal German records.

 

Kilduff also makes a case for the unreliability of German records. He cites examples in which masses of data were destroyed by retreating German forces and instances of the German former air ministry having been guilty of "obfuscation" in denying losses when casualties had been incurred.

 

Doris Day

 

On the 11th. September 1956, the Number One hit record in the UK was 'Whatever Will be Will be' by Doris Day.

Done