Billy Bishop: 'Liar and Cheat'

[Billy_Bishop]

The book hit the bookstores within the last 24 hours. *I got the call from the independant bookstore I deal with (the one that my wife works for) this afternoon at 3:00 P.M. saying it was in.
I'll advise the group when my reviews for this book are published.

Make sure you email me a copy so I can put it on my site.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[SEDieter]

Make sure you email me a copy so I can put it on my site.

VBR,

Al Lowe

Actually, Al, I've been asked for reviews by several different publications. So far I have three definite, one more confirmed, and another two potential in the works.

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll have my own website up so you can read them on your own.

[Billy_Bishop]

Considering the comparison of Warneford's Morane L to Bishop's Nieuport, I still say that for anyone to believe Bishop landed his machine, took off his gun and shot up his own machine, THEN took off in his machine after starting the engine, SINGLE-HANDED.....

{Ricky Ricardo}"It's just so ridiculous"{/Ricky Ricardo}
: : : : :


VBR,

Al Lowe

[CaptainLewis]

Dear Al,
*Yes, but not half as ridiculous as Bishop's claim that he jettisoned his Lewis gun to save weight in case he had to escape four German scouts; in Bishop's own words:

*"To my dismay I discovered four enemy scouts above me. I was terrified that they would see me, so flew directly underneath them, for some time -- almost a mile, I should think -- going directly south. Then, deciding that I must do something, I took the bit in my teeth and slipped away. They did not attempt to attack me at all, so I am not sure whether they even saw me or not."

*One wonders if he took the Bowden cable in his teeth as well...

*Further on, having returned to his aerodrome, Bishop then relates:

*"I personally congratulated the man who had charge of my gun, suddenly relaizing that if it had jammed at a critical moment what a tight corner I would have been in."

*... But I'll wager not quite as tight as the corner he would have been in WITHOUT his ordnance! (Can you just picture the poor, dumbfounded armorer, politely accepting Bishop's sincere thanks, all the while pointing mutely at the top wing of the Nieuport???)

*There is one instance that I know of where an aviator lost his weaponry -- and that was 'Tiger' Jones dropping his Lewis whilst trying to get a better shot at an Eindecker that had flown beneath his aircraft. So much for that tactic...

* Whatever could have possessed Bishop to have, so to speak, 'dropped the gun'?

* To paraphrase Ricki Riccardo, "Beelee, you have some 'splaining to do!"

VBR,
Captain "The Gun" Lewis

[Tom_Cervo]

Dear Al,
*Yes, but not half as ridiculous as Bishop's claim that he jettisoned his Lewis gun to save weight in case he had to escape four German scouts; in Bishop's own words:

*"To my dismay I discovered four enemy scouts above me. I was terrified that they would see me, so flew directly underneath them, for some time -- almost a mile, I should think -- going directly south. Then, deciding that I must do something, I took the bit in my teeth and slipped away. They did not attempt to attack me at all, so I am not sure whether they even saw me or not."

*One wonders if he took the Bowden cable in his teeth as well...
VBR,
Captain "The Gun" Lewis

It's pretty clear that he was someone's fairhaired boy. You need only recall the time when Barker asked to keep the cockpit watch from the plane that he had used to dispatch so many HA, and was turned down--but throwing away a Lewis gun?!?
Hard to believe that it represented so much weight, or drag, up or down, that it was worth the effort to toss it away, especially since it represented his only armament--even a jammed gun allows you to scare off an enemy by diving at them; once they see you are unarmed you can feint *away to no effect.
(And if it was jammed in the back position, I'd think the armorer would get a bollocking instead of thanks.)
It's no wonder that some people think he did so only to get rid of the evidence of a weapon that jammed after firing a few rounds. . . .

[Barrett]

Interesting to speculate that BB was ditching evidence of a jammed Lewis...but why would he draw such unusual attention to himself? He could have tossed his other drums and claimed "Whew--good thing it happened on me last reload!" If he was determined to perpetrate a fraud, he didn't need to do it THAT day. He could just as easily have gone solo another time and returned with the same tale about the airdrome raid. I gotta think there was some other reason--and not necessarily a good one, either!

[Billy_Bishop]

It's pretty clear that he was someone's fairhaired boy. You need only recall the time when Barker asked to keep the cockpit watch from the plane that he had used to dispatch so many HA, and was turned down--but throwing away a Lewis gun?!?
Hard to believe that it represented so much weight, or drag, up or down, that it was worth the effort to toss it away, especially since it represented his only armament--even a jammed gun allows you to scare off an enemy by diving at them; once they see you are unarmed you can feint *away to no effect.
(And if it was jammed in the back position, I'd think the armorer would get a bollocking instead of thanks.)
It's no wonder that some people think he did so only to get rid of the evidence of a weapon that jammed after firing a few rounds. . . .

Someone once cited another incident where someone's Lewis gun jammed in the back or "pointing up" position. Although, if I recall, no mention of whether or not the gun was dropped.

With regard to getting rid of it to cover it's possible jamming after only a few rounds, he wouldn't have to drop the gun for that. All he'd have to have done was chuck the extra magazines over the side.

As for any "splaining," I suppose it's obvious by now that whatever he told Jack Scott was satisfactory. And if it's not that obvious, well, I just won't comment any further on that.


As for the Bowden cable, from the looks of it, I'd guess it was a flexible cable that he could just as easily have put behind or under his seat. I doubt he had to hold it in his teeth.

VBR,

Al Lowe

[Billy_Bishop]

* *Interesting to speculate that BB was ditching evidence of a jammed Lewis...but why would he draw such unusual attention to himself? *He could have tossed his other drums and claimed "Whew--good thing it happened on me last reload!" If he was determined to perpetrate a fraud, he didn't need to do it THAT day. *He could just as easily have gone solo another time and returned with the same tale about the airdrome raid. *I gotta think there was some other reason--and not necessarily a good one, either!

Maybe he sold it for some good French Wine??

VBR,

Al Lowe

[Richard_Schrader]

I try to be fair, but I just can't buy Bishop's story. There are too many holes in it for me, nothing about the raid sounds true! The only reason I can think of for the British letting such a cock and bull story pass is;
The RFC had just gone through a very bad time, Bloody April, Muderous May etc. It needed soething to raise the spirits of the badly shot up squadrons. Bishop's "raid" would show the rest of the RFC that the offensive missions that they hated were beating down the evil Hun.
Bishop had show the other lads how it was done!
As my father use to say. "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull shit.' Bishop was full of it.
Richard

quote of Capt Lee in refernce to Bishop. "How does he do it?"

First off, thanks for that excerpt of the Warneford report: trés interressant!
But I draw from it that Warneford had "considerable difficulty" re-starting a weaker engine in a heavier aircraft. Imagine starting a more powerful engine in a lighter aircraft.

"Wasn't the inflammatory book that started this thread also released this week? If so, I'll leave it to others to make what they will of the timing of the dedication..."

I happen to know the publisher rushed out copies in a near panic in order to capitalize on the "controversy" (read: free publicity) resulting from the author's interviews in the Canadian media.
And the official dedication of the Owen Sound museum (Bishop's boyhood home) was scheduled some time ago: and the Canadian government couldn't organize a good conspiracy if it tried ...
:-/