Before dawn on June 2, 1917, a young Canadian hedgehopped his Nieuport behind enemy lines to attack a German airdrome single-handedly. He destroyed three Albatros biplanes, bringing his total to 47 in less than three months of combat flying on the Western Front. This exploit won Billy Bishop the Victoria Cross. In less than six months, he fought 170 air battles and scored 72 victories–25 of them in just 12 days.

Like the German ace von Richthofen, Bishop hated mud. He left the Canadian Mounted Rifles to join the Royal Flying Corps as an air observer in early 1917. By March, he was a fighter pilot. Armed with two rifle-caliber machine guns, Bishop showed the world what could be done with a 113-hp plane that had a top speed of 107 mph.

For his bravery in the air, William Avery Bishop became the first man in military history to receive the British Empire’s three highest decorations in one ceremony. He was then 23 years old.

In June 1918, he began organization of what would become the Royal Canadian Air Force. Twenty-one years later, during WWII, Bishop served as its Air Marshall. At his death in 1956, a dozen jet-age fighters from the air force he inspired dipped their wings in homage to Billy Bishop–the man without fear.