Forces With History #215--A Life of Service
John R. Bishop
One day when I was a kid in public school I became aware that an older cousin of one of my pals had turned up on the school playground. He was wearing a uniform, and I never saw him again for some years, but somewhere along the line I realized he had enlisted in the Canadian Army. That was in 1950, when the United Nations came calling on Canada to help resist North Korea’s attack on South Korea.
Years later I read about the Battle of Kapyong, and my interest was piqued by a conversation with the late Cam Cathcart, who was then President of RUSI-Vancouver. I mentioned I was thinking about a book about the Korean War, and his instant reaction was, “Kapyong?”
A retired member of the Canadian army came to my attention. John R. Bishop lived in Cobble Hill, and he had written a book about his time in Korea with the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, as part of a Special Force. I contacted John and he kindly invited me to the home he shared with his wife Judy Moss. He signed a copy of “The King’s Bishop” for me, and during a later visit he and Judy put me in touch with other veterans. Here is a picture of John as a 20-year-old private, copied from his book.
As a member of the Special Force John Bishop was only committed to serving for 18 months, but he applied for and was granted a transfer to the regular army. Thirty-six years later, Lieutenant-Colonel J. R. Bishop retired from the army. During his career he served in Korea twice more, England, Germany, Ghana, the Middle East, Vietnam, and elsewhere.
During one of his appointments to Korea (in peacetime) he climbed Hill 677, the site of the Battle of Kapyong. Here is a photo of John sitting in the shallow scrape (that wouldn’t qualify as a trench!) where he had taken cover during the battle.
John’s “retirement” included travel and sailing, building his and Judy’s home in Cobble Hill, and very active service in numerous veterans’ associations. He died on July 18th this year after a stay in Veterans Memorial Lodge in Victoria.
A later photo of John with a copy of his book can be seen in my book trailer for “THE FORGOTTEN: A Novel of the Korean War” at this link:
https://youtu.be/uAPrP9L99v8