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We remember Walter Lewis Bishop
We remember Walter Lewis Bishop
Timeline
Timeline
1892
1917
dates
Age 25
Source:9228444
23rd September 1917
enlistment
Keswick South Australia
Australia
Source:8161735
service
Australian Imperial Force
1177
Source:8161735
1917
death
Boulogne
France
Source:9228444
23rd September 1917
burial
Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
Source:9228444
Details
Details
Names
| Type | Name |
|---|---|
| First Names | Walter Lewis |
| Initials | WL |
| Last Name | Bishop |
| Source | 8161735 |
Gender
| Gender | Source |
|---|---|
| Male |
Contribution
Military Service
Military Service
| Service | Number | Unit | Section | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Imperial Force | 1177 |
Family
Parents
| Name | Relationship | Dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eva Dunstan Bishop | mother | ||
| Arthur Wells Bishop | father |
Media
Media
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 1 1916Written from Heliopolis Camp, Egypt. Wal's unit had been returned from the island of Lemnos, just off the Gallipoli coast after the failure of this operation. Wal had been sick in hospital and thus did not see active service at Gallipoli. Brother Lloyd was in Egypt by this time. This letter seems to have avoided censorship. Wal was still in the Light Horse Regiment, a unit that was to disappear as a method of warfare.Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 9 1916Also from Egypt. The pressures on men to join up were notorious. Wal's brother, Alf, was a victim of this. The alabaster stone picked up while sightseeing is still among the mementoes. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 28 1916Still in Egypt. Account of the joys of bargaining with street vendors. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 6 1916Still in Egypt. Frustration obvious at lack of active service. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, May 28 1916Still in Egypt. He is now in the 57th Battery of the 15th Brigade of the Field Artillery of the 5th Division. (transferred on April 2) Interesting account of some of the soldiers' exaggeration of their war records for home consumption. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to sister Eva Bishop, May 28 1916Much the same as letter of same date written to his mother. However, Wal has tried to squash some romantic rumours about himself back home. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Sept 27 1916Written from France. The stones referred to are also among the war mementoes. Note the censor's obliteration. The dangers of shells and spent bullets are becoming a part of life. Wal's unit left Egypt on June 17 and were in action from July 19, first in Flanders and then on the Somme. p1 & p4Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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post card to sister Eva Bishopstandardised post card used often when it was difficult to find an opportunity to write letters.Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Oct 31 1916Probably written near Flers in the quagmire of the Somme battlefield. Interesting reference to controversy in Australia over conscription. The army was all volunteer and there was a shortage of men due to battlefield losses. The country was split over the conscription issue. Note that Alf is now in England. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 13 1917Wal is still in the Gueudecourt area of the Somme with its morass of mud and chilling winter. The boys' father has tried to enlist! Alf at last has got to active service in France (see letters Alfred Norman Bishop). Army reorganisation still goes on. Shelling of artillery positions by each side was a common event. Gun flashes helped fix exact positions of guns. Wal is a telephone line specialist now in the artillery attached to Division 1. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, June 21 1917Wal's unit has been moved to the Ypres salient in Belgium. Note the signature of the letter censor on the side. It is likely that this was written in the Messines Ridge area.Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 9 1917Again written from the Ypres Salient near Messines Ridge. The Third Battle of Ypres had begun on July 31 1917 and would continue till November 10. This was written in the first phase of this battle. The terse reference to gassing and bombardment in the front lines barely conveys the reality. Censors would have eliminated that anyway. Repairing the telephone lines from observation posts to artillery units put men out in the open between lines. Wal was engaged in this duty. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 19 1917This was the last letter in the collection. Wal was to be severely wounded by gunshot to the head and neck in the Messines sector of the Ypres Salient on September 20. He was transferred to the military hospital in Boulogne, France, where he died three days later on September 23 1917. In this letter he has just returned from furlough in England where he stayed with a family in Leeds to whom he had an introductory letter. It is obvious that loneliness was a problem for the soldier on leave and a chance to live in a normal family atmosphere was really appreciated. He is now back in action on the Ypres front near the close of the first phase of this battle. p1Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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Letter informing of deathLetter from Captain Stewart regarding Wal's death. Sent in reply to Mr C. Cliffe, presumably the father of his friend, with whom he stayed in Leeds.Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
Official notification of deathLetter sent to Wal's brother, Lloyd, informing him of his death.Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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Roll of Honour applicationApplication for inclusion in the Roll of Honour of Australia in the Memorial War MuseumContributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
grave marker Walter Lewis Bishoptemporary grave marker in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. Grave reference: VIII. I. 37Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
visiting Walter Lewis Bishop's graveHis great-niece, Lorraine, visits Wal's grave in April 2012.Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
Walter Lewis Bishop - graveWal's grave in Eastern Boulogne Cemetery Plot VIII, Row I, No. 37Contributed by:
Lorraine2436 -
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Communities
Communities
This person is not linked to any communities.
Evidence
Evidence
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Official Records
| Title | Connected by | More information |
|---|---|---|
| Australian ANZACs from the National Archives of Australia | ||
| Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Casualty Records Transcription | Lorraine2436 |
External Evidence
| Reference | Connected by | More information |
|---|---|---|
| Ancestry Australia Birth Index 1788-1922 | Lorraine2436 |
Multimedia
| Title | Connected by | More information |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Lewis Bishop | Lorraine2436 | |
| Water Lewis Bishop | Lorraine2436 | |
| Walter Lewis Bishop | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 1 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 1 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 9 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 9 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Jan 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 6 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 6 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 6 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, May 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, May 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to sister Eva Bishop, May 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to sister Eva Bishop, May 28 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Sept 27 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Sept 27 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| post card to sister Eva Bishop | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Oct 31 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Oct 31 1916 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 13 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 13 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 13 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Feb 13 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, June 21 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 9 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 9 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 9 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 19 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 19 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 19 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 19 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| letter to mother, Eva Dunstan Bishop, Aug 19 1917 | Lorraine2436 | |
| Letter informing of death | Lorraine2436 | |
| Official notification of death | Lorraine2436 | |
| Walter Lewis Bishop | Lorraine2436 | |
| Christmas card | Lorraine2436 | |
| Roll of Honour application | Lorraine2436 | |
| grave marker Walter Lewis Bishop | Lorraine2436 | |
| visiting Walter Lewis Bishop's grave | Lorraine2436 | |
| Walter Lewis Bishop - grave | Lorraine2436 | |
| Walter Lewis Bishop | Lorraine2436 | |
| Walter Lewis Bishop | Lorraine2436 |
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We remember Walter Lewis Bishop
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