Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

ARTHUR BISHOP (#3005)

The Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Local History Collection of St Peters Servicemen includes a photo with the back inscription of “Private A Bishop MM”. The photo depicts an Australian soldier wearing what appears to be the ribbon for the Military Medal. This photo was originally from the St Peters WW1 Memorial Board that was displayed in the St Peters Town Hall from 1917. https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/10607

The State Records of SA WW1 servicemen collection has a similar photo of the same soldier with the same notation on the reverse. (State Records of SA GRG26/5/4/162). This photo appears to have been hand coloured and to have had a background painted on. Additionally it shows what appears to be the Military Medal in place of the ribbon showing on the St Peters copy.

The service records for Private Arthur Bishop (#3005) show that he enlisted on the 9th June 1915, and served in the 16th Btn.

He landed in Gallipoli on the 13th November 1915, reported sick on the 16th and was evacuated on the 20th. He later served in France where he was wounded twice in August 1916, repatriated to Australia in July 1917 and discharged in January 1918.

The service records do not show any awards for gallantry. The Nominal Roll & Embarkation Lists for Bishop do not list a MM.

The St Peters & State Records photos show the soldier wearing a regimental colour patch. If the State Records photo is in colour then it would help to identify it further, however it is rectangular and white over a dark colour. The patch for the 16th Btn (Arthur B’s unit) is rectangular and white over blue and so depending on the colour it appears to be for the 16th.

The patch in the photo also has over it the Anzac “A” badge that was issued to all those who served on Gallipoli. In late 1917, an AIF order approved by General Birdwood officially obliged all those who had taken part in the Gallipoli campaign to wear a small brass ‘A’ for Anzac on their unit colour patches on each shoulder of their uniforms. http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/1landing/s_birdwood.html).

Arthur did serve at Gallipoli, even though it was only for a few days.

However there is the issue of the Military Medal.

The AWM Gallantry Awards site has no record of Arthur having had the MM awarded to him. There is only one ‘A Bishop recorded, Alfred Norman (#235) from Basket Range SA who served in the 43rd Btn, and who was killed in action on 4th November 1917, a few months after receiving the award.

The form held by State Records SA and provided with the lodgement of the photo in 1919 clearly names the picture as being of Arthur Bishop MM, and the reverse of the photo has “Private A Bishop MM”. The form also lists Bishop as having been awarded the MM in another section. The form was lodged by Arthur Bishop, and has his signature. This signature matches that on the Attestation form completed when he enlisted in June 1915, and his various specimen signatures. These signatures also match the handwriting on the reverse of the 2 copies of the photos.

An article in the ‘Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record’ dated 2nd November 1917 gives a detailed account of Arthur’s service and heroism. The article was written on visit to Renmark where he lived prior to enlistment.  https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/109221500

There is a mystery here.

Has the AWM failed to list his MM, in which case there is a wrong that needs to be righted, or did he endeavour to embellish his service record with the addition of the Military Medal and ribbons to the photos, the lodging of the false information with the photo with SRSA, and claims in the Renmark paper?

David Cree

26/8/2014