The Making of Billy Bishop

The Making of Billy Bishop PDF Author: Brereton Greenhous
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1554880238
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
It's a war story that is told every time the career of Billy Bishop is discussed: On June 2, 1917, the young pilot single-handedly took out a German airfield in an early morning raid at the height of the Great War. For this, he was awarded the Victoria Cross, and a place in Canadian history. And yet, the attack never happened. In this explosive new biography, Brereton Greehous exposes the myth of Billy Bishop. While his bravery never comes into question (Bishop was as courageous as any of the men who risked their lives in those early warplanes) his credibility as a storyteller does. From exaggerations and half-truths to flat-out lies, stories of Bishop's legendary exploits contain as much fiction as they do fact. Greenhous reveals many startling truths: he presents evidence that some of the medals Bishop wore late in his career were unearned, uncovers a number of examples of Bishop embellishing or inventing combat stories, and, most significantly, shows that the only account of the ace's raid on the German airfield came from Bishop himself. Even official German records of casualties fail to corroborate the Canadian's claims. The Making of Billy Bishop is a book certain to stir up controversy. Twenty years ago, a documentary film questioning Bishop's credentials as a hero was considered so blasphemous that a senate investigation was launched in an attempt to restore the pilot's name. Now, Greenhous's research vindicates the claims of the filmmakers, and re-ignites an argument once thought settled.

Billy Bishop Goes to War

Billy Bishop Goes to War PDF Author: John Gray
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780889226890
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
New edition includes the bestselling original musical play plus the acclaimed, revised version that depicts celebrated WWI hero Billy Bishop.

Billy Bishop

Billy Bishop PDF Author: Dan McCaffery
Publisher: Formac Publishing Company
ISBN: 1459504917
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
Billy Bishop was the top Canadian flying ace in the First World War, credited officially with a record-breaking 75 victories. He was a highly skilled pilot and an accurate shot. Bishop went from being the most decorated war hero in Canadian history to a crusader for peace, writing the book Winged Peace, which supported international control of global air power. Author Dan McCaffery presents the life and accomplishments of Bishop through information he gathered from interviews and archival sources. This new illustrated edition of Dan McCaffery's book contains more than 50 photos of Bishop and other First World War fliers including German and British air aces, plus artefacts from the collection now on display at Billy Bishop airport, Toronto.

Billy Bishop VC Lone Wolf Hunter

Billy Bishop VC Lone Wolf Hunter PDF Author: Peter Kilduff
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
ISBN: 190980813X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
William Avery Bishop is recognized as the British EmpireÕs highest-scoring WWI ace, credited with 72 combat victories, third-ranking behind von Richthofen and RenŽ Fonck. He scored many of his successes on his own, prevailing only by dint of personal courage, daring and superior marksmanship. This remarkable manÕs story has been detailed in many books and articles, but renowned author Peter Kilduff is adamant that so far the full truth has not been told. Famed for his evenhanded, thorough, exhaustive and forensic research, Kilduff sets out to bring new light to missions and kills so far steeped in controversy. As so many of BishopÕs victories were achieved during solo combat, all will be examined and scrutinized, drawing on German, British and Canadian archival sources, BishopÕs private correspondence, and accounts by friends and foes. Such an approach provides as complete an account as possible which also serves as a valuable reference work containing many previously unpublished images.

The Courage of the Early Morning

The Courage of the Early Morning PDF Author: William Arthur Bishop
Publisher: Dundurn.com
ISBN: 0887629563
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
A high-flying, action-packed tale for readers of all ages about the adventurous life of a Canadian icon. William Avery Bishop survived more than 170 air battles during World War I and was given official credit for shooting down seventy-two German aircraft. Experts on aerial warfare acknowledge that his relentless air fighting techniques and skills as a brilliant individualist and marksman were unique and his record unsurpassed. He was the first man in British military history to receive the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, and the Military Cross in one ceremony. This remarkably objective biography, written by Bishop’s son, is a warm-hearted, entertaining, and often surprisingly outspoken account of the escapades and heroics of a man of great courage. Eddie Rickenbacker one said, "Richthofen usually waited for enemies to fly into his territory; Bishop was the raider, always seeking the enemy wherever he could be found ... I think he’s the only man I ever met who was incapable of fear." Throughout his life Billy Bishop was something of an eccentric – a man of ebullient high spirits and feverish enthusiasm. As a boy in Owen Sound, Ontario, though, he had no aptitude for learning. His three years at the Royal Military College were disastrous – an epic of rules broken and discipline scorned. He often admitted that his special method of landing wrecked more planes than he shot down. In the days when fliers could rightly think themselves heroes for just having the courage to go up in the rickety plans, Billy Bishop won the respect of comrades and enemies alike. He was one of the new breed of warriors who met the deadly challenge of air combat and made the airplane a decisive military weapon.

Winged Warfare (WWI Centenary Series)

Winged Warfare (WWI Centenary Series) PDF Author: William A. Bishop
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1528765672
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
"Here for the first time is presented the thrilling personal narrative of a living champion of the air-the self-told story of Major William A. Bishop, of Canada and the British Royal Flying Corps." This book is part of the World War One Centenary series; creating, collating and reprinting new and old works of poetry, fiction, autobiography and analysis. The series forms a commemorative tribute to mark the passing of one of the world's bloodiest wars, offering new perspectives on this tragic yet fascinating period of human history. Each publication also includes brand new introductory essays and a timeline to help the reader place the work in its historical context.

Winged Peace

Winged Peace PDF Author: William Avery Bishop
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Journey through the skies in 'Winged Peace' as Colonel William Avery Bishop, a distinguished World War I Canadian flying ace, unveils the epic tale of aviation. From the awe-inspiring flight of the Wright Brothers in 1903 to the thunderous clashes of World War II, Bishop chronicles the remarkable progress and innovation that propelled humanity into the realm of the clouds. Within these pages, he not only delves into the harrowing depths of air conflict but also unveils the boundless potential of commercial air travel, offering insights that resonate with the future of flight.

The Big Sort

The Big Sort PDF Author: Bill Bishop
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0547525192
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 478

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Book Description
The award-winning journalist reveals the untold story of why America is so culturally and politically divided in this groundbreaking book. Armed with startling demographic data, Bill Bishop demonstrates how Americans have spent decades sorting themselves into alarmingly homogeneous communities—not by region or by state, but by city and neighborhood. With ever-increasing specificity, we choose the communities and media that are compatible with our lifestyles and beliefs. The result is a country that has become so ideologically inbred that people don't know and can't understand those who live just a few miles away. In The Big Sort, Bishop explores how this phenomenon came to be, and its dire implications for our country. He begins with stories about how we live today and then draws on history, economics, and our changing political landscape to create one of the most compelling big-picture accounts of America in recent memory.

Barker VC

Barker VC PDF Author: Wayne Ralph
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
When William Barker died in an air crash in March 1930, his state funeral was the largest in the history of Toronto. The cortege was two miles long, with 2000 uniformed men as escort and 50,000 spectators looking on. He was, after all, a magnificent airman, a great war hero and holder of the Victoria Cross, the DSO and Bar, the MC and two Italian Silver Medals for Valour and three Mentions-in-Despatches. Moreover, he had 50 Great War victories in the air to his credit. But his life and achievements have, to all intents and purposes, been forgotten or at best overlooked when compared to that other great Canadian war hero, Billy Bishop. Why? Wayne Ralph made it his mission to find out. In what was to become for him "a five-year emotional journey," Ralph has solved many mysteries and laid to rest many half-truths about the man. His book is detailed, meticulously researched and excellently crafted. It holds the interest from beginning to end and deserves to be viewed as the definitive biography of Lieutenant Colonel William Barker; warts and all, and a fitting testimony to the life and time of a legend.

Billy Bishop

Billy Bishop PDF Author: Dan McCaffery
Publisher: James Lorimer & Company
ISBN: 9781550287684
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Billy Bishop is Canada's greatest air ace of all time. He was almost thrown out of military college for cheating, but he went on to become the most famous of the First World War fighter pilots. Though he became a darling of the press, Bishop grew tired of the carnage of the war. Author Dan McCaffery offers a lively, compelling portrait of Bishop. His meticulous research has settled, once and for all, the controversy over whether Bishop lied to win his Vicotria Cross. Warts and all, Bishop emerges as a true Canadian hero.