Episode 149: William Avery (Billy) Bishop was born in Owen Sound, Ontario, on February 8, 1894. When the First World War broke out, as with many young men of his day, Billy was off to Europe to do his part. By the end of the war, Bishop claimed he had survived more than 170 air battles and said he had shot down seventy-two German aircraft. This number left Bishop only three behind René Fonck of France and eight behind The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, who had 80 kills. These numbers made Bishop the top Canadian and British Empire flying ace of the war and Canada’s most storied veterans. But Billy’s story does come with some controversy.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bishop
https://www.scribd.com/book/230095060/The-Courage-of-the-Early-Morning-A-Biography-of-the-Great-Ace-of-World-War-I
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/people-and-stories/billy-bishop
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/100-stories/Pages/bishop.aspx
https://www.constable.ca/caah/bbishop.htm
https://www.owensound.ca/en/billy-bishop-museum.aspx
https://valourcanada.ca/military-history-library/billy-bishop-vc/
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/william-avery-bishop
https://www.theworldwar.org/explore/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/billy-bishop
https://www.nfb.ca/film/the-kid-who-couldnt-miss/
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/educational-magazines/william-billy-avery-bishop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc2LjoXbX-c Classic WW1 Fighters
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