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John (Jack) Wallis Bishop was born June 8, 1892, in Berlin, Maryland. He was trained as a pilot at the US Army School of Military Aeronautics at Cornell University in 1917 and subsequently enlisted in Canada and was assigned to the 66th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) at the front for 14 months in northern Italy. He shot down two enemy aircraft and participated in 22 low altitude bombing raids. In the 1930s, he became a flying instructor and pilot at Roosevelt Field. Bishop was killed in a flying accident at Roosevelt Field on August 30, 1936. This collection contains materials from Bishop's career as a pilot, including a diary, logbooks, newsletters, permits, photographs, and articles.
John (Jack) Wallis Bishop was born June 8, 1892, in Berlin, Maryland. A United States citizen living in Yonkers, New York, he initially enlisted in the United States military on September 14, 1917, at Mineola, New York. He was trained at the US Army School of Military Aeronautics at Cornell University until his honorable discharge ("cause not shown") on October 30, 1917. Subsequently, he enlisted in Canada and was assigned to the 66th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) at the front for 14 months in northern Italy. He shot down two enemy aircraft and participated in 22 low altitude bombing raids. He returned to the US in June 1919, became a member of the "Ancient and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen." After the war, he sold real estate, but soon began flying again, participating in barnstorming tours. In the 1930s, he became a flying instructor and pilot at Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York, and a lieutenant in the Nassau County (NY) police department. He was a friend and flying associate of the air racer Annette Gipson. Bishop was killed in a flying accident near Roosevelt Field on August 30, 1936.
NASM.1988.0086
Bishop, John Wallis (Jack)
1918-1936
E. Thompson Magoffin, gift, 1988, NASM.1988.0086.
0.25 Cubic feet (1 slim legal document case)
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection contains materials from John Wallis Bishop's career as a pilot. World War I era materials include photographs, a diary of his overseas service, a logbook, newsletters and programs from the 66th Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps, a booklet of aircraft silhouettes, an aerial map of the northern Italian front, and his permission to depart from the United Kingdom and return to the United States. Materials from his later career include logbooks, a pilot permit and physical examination certificate, and a book of tickets for excursion flights with Bishop. Other materials include an article from the November/December 1931 edition of The Military Engineer entitled "Two-Fifths of an Ace," describing Bishop's exploits with the 66th Squadron, an in memoriam article, an article about Annette Gipson, and a genealogy of Samuel and John Bishop. Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
This collection is arranged in chronological order.
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John Wallis Bishop Collection, Acc. NASM.1988.0086, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
World War, 1914-1918
Aeronautics
Aeronautics, Military
Periodicals
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Photographs
Publications
Maps