William Bishop, rue VC

Pointe-Claire,
Type
Autre

Ce chemin est nommé en l’honneur du maréchal de l’Air William Avery « Billy » Bishop, VC, CB, DSO et barrette, MC, DFC, ED.

William Avery Bishop naît à Owen Sound, en Ontario, le 8 février 1894. Lorsque la Première Guerre mondiale éclate, il est élève-officier au Royal Military College, à Kingston. Il s’enrôle dans le 9thMississauga Horse du Corps expéditionnaire canadien le 30 septembre 1914 pour ensuite servir dans le Royal Flying Corps. Le Capitaine Bishop, déjà récipiendaire de l’Ordre du service distingué et de la Croix militaire, devient le premier aviateur canadien à recevoir la Croix de Victoria pour son attaque matinale en solitaire contre un terrain d’aviation ennemi, près de Cambrai, en France. Le 2 juin 1917, il repère sept avions au sol; il attaque et détruit trois des appareils et, plus tard, on lui attribuera la destruction des quatre autres. Le Capitaine Bishop poursuit ses opérations aériennes jusqu’en août 1917. Il retourne au front en juin 1918. Avec 72 victoires répertoriées à son actif, il se classe au deuxième rang des as de l’Empire britannique.

Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le Capitaine Bishop est maréchal de l’Air dans l’Aviation royale du Canada et contribue au recrutement. Il s'éteint à Palm Beach, aux États-Unis, le 11 septembre 1956

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Inscription

[front/devant]

Air Marshall William Avery "Billy" Bishop, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED, citation from London Gazette, no.30228, 11 August 1917.

"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 machine about, he flew on to another aerodrome about three miles south-east, which was at least twelve 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 sixty feet Captain Bishop fired fifteen rounds into it at very close range, and it crashed to the ground.

A second machine got off the ground, into which he fired thirty 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 the 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 1,000 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.”

Location
William Bishop, rue VC

703 Avenue Donegani
Pointe-Claire
Coordonnées GPS
Lat. 45.4386443
Long. -73.8365496

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