William Avery Bishop (1894-1956)
Air Marshal "Billy" Bishop, V.C., C.B., D.S.O., M.C., D.F.C., Canadian Fighter Ace
He was born at 948 Third Avenue, Owen Sound. He was educated at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston. He came to Europe as an officer with the 7th Canadian Mounted Rifles, but while in France transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1915. Over the next three years, he was officially credited with 72 victories, making him not only the top Canadian Ace of the War, but the top Ace across the whole British Empire. He was awarded the Victoria Cross (V.C.) for single-handedly attacking an enemy aerodrome: four of the the planes on the ground took off to attack him, but he shot them all. After the war, he went into business with his cousin's husband, the most decorated Canadian wartime hero of all time, Billy Barker. During World War II, he was made an honorary Air Marshal. He lived between England and Montreal and often spent summers at Saint-Sauveur in the Laurentians. His portrait (see images) was painted by Alphonse Jongers. He married Margaret Burden and had two children.
