Memorial 35090-030 Toronto, ON

This airport is named in honour of Air Marshal William Avery “Billy” Bishop, VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED. The airport was opened in 1939, and renamed Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on November 10, 2009. It is managed by Toronto Port Authority.

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William Avery Bishop was born in Owen Sound, Ontario on 8 February 1894. During the outbreak of the Great War, he was a cadet at the Royal Military College, in Kingston. He enrolled in the 9th Mississauga Horse, Canadian Expedition Force, on 30 September 1914, and he later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. Bishop, who already had the Distinguished Service Order and Military Cross, became the first Canadian Airman to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his single-handed early morning attack on an enemy airfield near Cambrai, France. On 2 June 1917, he found seven aircraft on the ground; he attacked and destroyed three, and was later credited with the destruction of the remaining four aircraft. Bishop continued air operations until August 1917 and returned to the front in June 1918. He emerged as the British Empire’s second highest scoring ace, with 72 official victories.

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In the Second World War Bishop was an Air Marshal in the Royal Canadian Air Force and assisted in recruiting. He later died in Palm Beach, United States, on 11 September 1956.

Inscription

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Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

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History of airport: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (IATA: YTZ), commonly known as the Toronto Island Airport, is a small airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto. It is named after Air Marshall Billy Bishop. Originally conceived in the 1930’s, the paved runways and the terminal building opened in 1939. During World War II, the island airport became a military training base. From 1940 until 1943, the Norwegian Government in-exile used the island airport as a training facility for the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNAF). Barracks were built nearby on the mainland at the foot of Bathurst Street. The nearby “Little Norway Park” is named in remembrance of the Norwegian community around the airport. For the duration of the war, the airport was used by the Royal Canadian Air Force for training pilots and as a waypoint for transporting planes. After the war, the airport returned to civilian use.

L’aéroport a été nommé en l’honneur du maréchal de l’Air, William Avery « Billy » Bishop, VC, CB, DSO avec barrette, MC, DFC, ED. Il a été inauguré en 1939 et renommé l’Aéroport Billy Bishop de Toronto le 10 novembre 2009. Il est administré par l’Administration portuaire de Toronto.

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William Avery Bishop naît à Owen Sound, en Ontario, le 8 février 1894. Lorsque la Première Guerre mondiale éclate, il est élève-officier au Royal Military College, à Kingston. Il s’enrôle dans le 9thMississauga Horse du Corps expéditionnaire canadien le 30 septembre 1914 pour ensuite servir dans le Royal Flying Corps. Le Capitaine Bishop, déjà récipiendaire de l’Ordre du service distingué et de la Croix militaire, devient le premier aviateur canadien à recevoir la Croix de Victoria pour son attaque matinale en solitaire contre un terrain d’aviation ennemi, près de Cambrai, en France. Le 2 juin 1917, il repère sept avions au sol; il attaque et détruit trois des appareils et, plus tard, on lui attribuera la destruction des quatre autres. Le Capitaine Bishop poursuit ses opérations aériennes jusqu’en août 1917. Il retourne au front en juin 1918. Avec 72 victoires répertoriées à son actif, il se classe au deuxième rang des as de l’Empire britannique.

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Pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le Capitaine Bishop est maréchal de l’Air dans l’Aviation royale du Canada et contribue au recrutement. Il s’éteint à Palm Beach, aux États-Unis, le 11 septembre 1956.

Le texte de l’inscription figure dans la section anglaise.