'Billy Bishop' Books

Pips · 6 November 2006, 05:54 PM

There are two books that I have on my shortlist to get concerning Bishop. One is "The Making of

Billy Bishop" by Brereton Greenhous; the other "BILLY BISHOP: Canadian Hero" by Dan McCaffery.

The intention of the first book seems to be to debunk the myth of Billy Bishop the hero ace, the second to support him and denigrate his detractors.

Has anyone actually read both books? Opinions, comments?

josef scott · 7 November 2006, 08:25 AM

I read both of these books a couple of years ago. They are definitely coming from opposite ends of the spectrum. Your analysis is fairly accurate. You won't get any sort of objectivity from either.

I read a previous title by McCaffery, a collection of aces' biographies, which was completely over-the-top, wide-eyed and uncritical. His Bishop book isn't that bad, but my view of his writing is tainted now.

Greenhous has more research on his side, but there is so much vitriol in his book that much of it comes off as spite.

So you have a cheerleader and an axe-grinder. It would be nice to have an in-depth, balanced narrative like Wayne Ralph's Barker VC. You'd have to read both.

Pips · 7 November 2006, 08:54 PM

Thanks for those remarks Josef. They definitely bear out my initial impressions of them.

Such a controversial subject deserves an author who can maintain a clinical, factual, honest approach. Axe grinders (of whatever persuasion) do far more damage than help.

josef scott · 8 November 2006, 08:30 AM

Oddly enough, McCaffery ends up conceding that Bishop's victory tally was inflated, but this doesn't dim his opinion of the man.

One thing though: for all his questionable record, Bishop did leave one thing. I can't think of any other Allied ace who contributed more to the devil-may-care swashbuckling rogue image that subsequently became the stereotype of WWI aviators (the French don't count: think Niven/Flynn). That romantic notion fuelled many an imagination, for better or worse.

THAT is why I still find him intriguing. A character who lived large.

MikeW · 8 November 2006, 11:17 AM

The late Phil Markham was one of the most balanced researchers I have known. As a Canadian, he always "wanted" to believe the Bishop story and when the debunking started in earnest he was outraged and determined to prove as much of the Bishop story as possible - after much serious research he came to the conclusion that Bishop was a charlatan.

Don't crucify me, just reporting what he told me!

Pips · 8 November 2006, 03:36 PM

That is a very interesting piece of information Mike. Thanks for sharing it. Did Markham ever put anything on paper?

Btw was it just the aerodrome raid that he researched and found wanting? Or did he develop suspicions about most/all of Bishops claims?

MikeW · 9 November 2006, 05:14 AM

Phil found many of Bishop's claims problematical. I do not believe he got round to documenting his findings.

Mike

josef scott · 9 November 2006, 08:22 AM

"As a Canadian", I too was predisposed to defend the honour of my countryman...but I don't believe Brown shot down MvR either...

I think the biggest problems with Bishop's record were with his 85 Squadron victories (as C.O., he confirmed his own), but the trouble started in 60 Squadron when it became apparent that Jack Scott (squadron commander) was going to be very "open-minded" about his golden boy's claims.

As I recall, one of McCaffery's retorts was that most Allied aces' records wouldn't stand up to the scrutiny that Bishop has been subjected to.

DEM · 20 November 2006, 05:14 PM

In the second edition of

Billy Bishop: Canadian Hero the author addresses the suspicion that he is a cheerleader. Discussing book reviews of the first edition, he writes in his introduction:

"The critics seemed to accept that I was no hero worshipper. Although I had concluded the Bishop legend was basically true, I had argued that about one-third of his aerial victories should be subtracted from his total, that his poor leadership had cost men their lives, that he was a womanizer and a heavy drinker. A review of Billy Bishop: Canadian Hero in the Ottawa Citizen included a headline that read: 'Bishop was brilliant in the air but a boor in real life, says author.'
Even Greenhous, writing in 1989 in the Canadian Historical Review, said I had "taken a somewhat harder look at Bishop's record" than previous biographers."

The author then goes on to point out he did not include the story of the British balloonist having seen the VC raid because the story did not "ring true."

Milhot · 20 November 2006, 05:33 PM

Hi guys,

My english is not very very good so sorry about the mistake i will make.