William Bishop was born in Owen Sound, Ontario in 1894. He joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914 and the following year transferred to the Royal Flying Corps.

Initially considered a mediocre his extraordinary eyesight and his willingness to practice, turned him to one of the outstanding flyers of the First World War. Promoted to commander of the Flying Foxes, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for scoring 25 victories in twelve days. On 2nd June 1917 he won the Victoria Cross after a single-handed attack on a German aerodrome near Vimy Ridge. During the war Bishop wrote Winged Warfare, an autobiographical account of his experiences as a pilot.

By the time the First World War ended Bishop was able to claim 72 victories. Only Manfred von Richthofen (80), Rene Fonck (75) and Mick Mannock (73) had better records.

After the war Bishop became the first Canadian Air Marshall and throughout the Second World War was director of the Royal Canadian Air Force. William Bishop died in 1956.