On the morning of 2nd June 1917, Canadian air ace William Avery “Billy” Bishop flew his Nieuport 17 on a solo mission behind enemy lines to attack a German aerodrome. After the attack Bishop claimed he shot down three enemy aircraft and destroyed several more on the ground. For this feat he was later awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the British Commonwealth’s highest award for valour.
The award was controversial. Bishop’s VC was one of two awarded in violation of the warrant requiring witnesses (the other being the Unknown Soldier), and since the German records have been lost and the archived papers of Bishop’s VC were lost as well, there is no way of ever knowing if there were any witnesses or not. However at the time it was common practice among British pilots to submit kills claimed without confirmation or verification from other witnesses.
Although Billy Bishop died 53 years ago his name is embroiled in controversy again. On 3rd September The Toronto Port Authority announced its intention to rename Toronto’s island airport the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The board voted on the change Wednesday, but still needs approval from Transport Canada, the International Air Transport Association and Nav Canada, the country’s civil air navigation services provider.
The TPA’s decision was big news 200 km away in Owen Sound, Bishop’s hometown and site of the Billy Bishop Regional Airport. Bill Murdoch, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, said having two airports named for the World War I ace would be “silly” and “confusing” and that ultimately the port authority would have to back down.
The Toronto Port Authority did not take into account the feelings of the people of Owen Sound, who weren’t consulted, and we at AHM feel the TPA showed no imagination in its decision to link Billy Bishop’s name to the airport. Despite the controversy surrounding Bishop’s VC he was a bona fide hero and has received plenty of positive publicity. We would like to see the TPA honour a lesser-known figure from Canada’s rich aviation history, someone such as Eileen Vollick.
By the age of 19 Ms Vollick was a textile analyst at the Hamilton Cotton Company, had won a local beauty contest, and parachuted into Burlington Bay. It was 1927; Charles Lindberg had flown the Atlantic and Amelia Earhart was becoming a celebrity. Ms Vollick enrolled in flight school and learned to fly in a Curtiss JN-4 or “Jenny.” According to her instructor Len Trip, Eileen was only 5′ 1″ and had to use pillows to see out of the cockpit of the JN-4. The Comptroller of Civil Aviation issued Eileen a private pilot’s licence #77 on March 13 1928, making her the first woman in Canada to qualify as a pilot.
After earning her licence Vollick flew in the U.S. and Canada, often demonstrating aerobatic flying. Shortly afterwards she married James Hopkin, moved to New York State and raised a family, where she lived until her death in 1968.
The rubber stamps have not hit paper; it’s not too late for the Port Authority to change its mind and give the island airport an original, historically significant name. Eileen Vollick is just one example of the many women who have made contributions to Canada’s aviation history, contributions which are usually glossed over or ignored. The Port Authority could go a long way towards correcting this lapse in our history.
Research: Paddy O’Conure
Sources: COPA, The Imperial War Museum, Olive Tree Genealogy Blog, The Toronto Star, Wikipedia
Tags: aviation, Billy Bishop, Eileen Vollick, Toronto
![my logo [150x90]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3721863796_bd58b426a1_o.jpg)
The Dogfight Over Toronto’s Island Airport
On the morning of 2nd June 1917, Canadian air ace William Avery “Billy” Bishop flew his Nieuport 17 on a solo mission behind enemy lines to attack a German aerodrome. After the attack Bishop claimed he shot down three enemy aircraft and destroyed several more on the ground. For this feat he was later awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the British Commonwealth’s highest award for valour.
Although Billy Bishop died 53 years ago his name is embroiled in controversy again. On 3rd September The Toronto Port Authority announced its intention to rename Toronto’s island airport the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The board voted on the change Wednesday, but still needs approval from Transport Canada, the International Air Transport Association and Nav Canada, the country’s civil air navigation services provider.
The TPA’s decision was big news 200 km away in Owen Sound, Bishop’s hometown and site of the Billy Bishop Regional Airport. Bill Murdoch, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, said having two airports named for the World War I ace would be “silly” and “confusing” and that ultimately the port authority would have to back down.
The Toronto Port Authority did not take into account the feelings of the people of Owen Sound, who weren’t consulted, and we at AHM feel the TPA showed no imagination in its decision to link Billy Bishop’s name to the airport. Despite the controversy surrounding Bishop’s VC he was a bona fide hero and has received plenty of positive publicity. We would like to see the TPA honour a lesser-known figure from Canada’s rich aviation history, someone such as Eileen Vollick.
After earning her licence Vollick flew in the U.S. and Canada, often demonstrating aerobatic flying. Shortly afterwards she married James Hopkin, moved to New York State and raised a family, where she lived until her death in 1968.
The rubber stamps have not hit paper; it’s not too late for the Port Authority to change its mind and give the island airport an original, historically significant name. Eileen Vollick is just one example of the many women who have made contributions to Canada’s aviation history, contributions which are usually glossed over or ignored. The Port Authority could go a long way towards correcting this lapse in our history.
Research: Paddy O’Conure
Sources: COPA, The Imperial War Museum, Olive Tree Genealogy Blog, The Toronto Star, Wikipedia
Tags: aviation, Billy Bishop, Eileen Vollick, Toronto