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ZF 2082 Major
ALONZO WENTWORTH BISHOP, C.D.
Royal Canadian Engineers

by
Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis
Ó 2005. All Rights Reserved.

1. INTRODUCTION

Unless otherwise noted, the details supplied in this narrative were extracted from copies of the officer's service papers obtained from the Canadian Department of Veteran Affairs. In accordance with the Canadian Information Act the service papers were heavily redacted. Unfortunately, a good deal of personal information regarding Major Bishop and his family could not be retrieved from the papers because of the heavy black lines drawn through the data. Additionally, the service papers contained both handwritten and typed copies of Bishop's Statement of Service, which in many places did not agree with each other. Dates were found to vary by a day or two in many instances and the handwritten copies were in places difficult to read. Some information pertaining to his service had to be omitted because it could not be read clearly from the papers, although these omissions were relatively few. Some place names or dates may also be in error due to the poor legibility of the handwritten version of the service papers.

The locations of the units in which Major Bishop served during his career were taken mainly from The History of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, Volume 2, by Kerry and Mc Dill and The History of the Canadian Military Engineers, Volume 3, by Holmes. Specific references are indicated in the Endnotes of this narrative.

2. EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION

An attempt was made to find Major Bishop's ancestors in the various census returns from Canada. The single most valuable piece of information used in these searches of the census returns was his rather unusual name of Alonzo. The given name Alonzo shows up in only one place in the 1881 Census of Canada and that is in the family of Robert Bishop, a farmer, living in Gaspereau, Kings, Nova Scotia.^[1] The following is the information contained in the census return for Robert Bishop's family:^[2]

Since the Alonzo Bishop, aged 12 years, in the table above is the only person by that name in the 1881 Census of Canada, and since he was born in Nova Scotia and was living there at the time of the census, it is probably safe to assume that he was the father of Alonzo Wentworth Bishop, the subject of this research. Robert and Isabel were A.W. Bishop's grandparents and Wesley and James were his uncles. It is interesting to note in the table above that although the entire family was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, their "Origin" is listed as "English."

Although his grandparents and his father were Baptists, Alonzo Wentworth's military identification tags (dog tags)^[3] indicate that he was a member of the United Church of Canada. He may have been raised a Baptist as a child, but at sometime prior to his entering the Army he became a member of the United Church of Canada. The United Church of Canada is the largest Protestant denomination in Canada. The church was inaugurated on 10 June 1925 in Toronto, when the Methodist Church of Canada, the Congregational Union of Canada, 70 percent of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the small General Council of Union Churches in western Canada entered into an organic union.^[4] Alonzo Bishop would have been 14 years of age when the church was started.

No trace of Alonzo Bishop's marriage was found during the course of this research. It is possible that the name Wentworth was a family name, perhaps that of A.W. Bishop's mother.

Alonzo Wentworth Bishop was born in 1911 in Nova Scotia. Although his date of birth has been redacted on the copies of his service papers, the reverse of his original Certificate of Service^[5] indicates that he was 51 years of age when he left the Army in 1962.

3. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Unfortunately, Major Bishop's service papers do not provide a description of him in 1940 when he first joined the Army, although based on his year of birth his age probably was 29 years when he joined. The following is a description him at the time he was discharged from the Army in 1962:

A photograph of him taken near the time of his retirement from the Army shows him to be not only a tall man but a stocky individual as well with a well-rounded face, a rather thick neck, and close-cropped hair. He looked like he was a powerfully built man.

Major Alonzo Wentworth Bishop, C.D., R.C.E.
(circa 1962)

4. COMMISSIONING AND TRAINING

Alonzo Wentworth Bishop was commissioned a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) on the 12^th of August 1940. He was 29 years of age at the time of his appointment. No doubt Canada's involvement in World War 2 was the major factor behind his decision to join the Army.

His appointment upon commissioning was to "C" Company of the 2^nd Battalion, North Nova Scotia Highlanders,^[6] then headquartered at Stewiacke in the province of Nova Scotia.^[7] According to his service papers, Alonzo was taken on the strength of this unit to complete the establishment of the company to which he was assigned. His appointment was confirmed by Major-General C.F. Constantine, District Officer Commanding Military District No. 6 on 14 August 1940.

Bishop remained with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders until 1 July 1941 when he was appointed to the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers in the Canadian Army (Active). Three days later he reported to the Officers' Training Centre at Brockville,^[8] Ontario where he remained until the end of September 1941.

On 1 October 1941 Bishop began training at the newly authorized Royal Canadian Engineers Training Centre (RCETC) at Wellington Barracks in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Wellington Barracks was the home of the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineering (RCSME) and it was there that 2^nd Lieutenant Bishop received his basic training as a Sapper officer. At the completion of his training in Halifax, Bishop was posted to Military District Depot No. 11 at Victoria, British Columbia on 9 June 1942 and then to the Royal Canadian Engineers Training Centre at Chilliwack, British Columbia. He completed his training at Chilliwack on 16 July 1942.

5. ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Canada (1942-1943)

Lieutenant Bishop's first assignment following his training at Chilliwack was the 1^st (Reserve) (Brighton) Fortress (Electrical & Mechanical) Company, Royal Canadian Engineers. His stay with that unit appears to have been only days, as he was reassigned to the 23^rd Field Company, R.C.E. at Petawawa,^[9] Ontario on 18 July 1942. The 23^rd Field Company formed part of the 7^th Canadian Division Engineers along with the 15^th and 27^th Field Companies, R.C.E. and the 5^th Field Park Company, R.C.E. The 7^th Canadian Division Engineers were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel N.C. Sutherland, R.C.E.

On 8 August 1942 the 23^rd Field Company moved from Petawawa to Sussex,^[10] New Brunswick, the area from which the company normally recruited. The following month Major S. Slater, R.C.E. assumed command of the company.^[11]

From September 1940 to May of 1943 Bishop attended a number of courses at Kingston, Chilliwack and Debert Military Camp. He remained on the strength of the 23^rd Field Company during this period. The courses he completed are described in the table in Section 7 below. Following the completion of his training he was ready for overseas service.

England (1943-1944)

Lieutenant Bishop was posted to the Canadian Army Overseas on 16 July 1943. He and the rest of the 23^rd Field Company embarked at Halifax on Sailing List No. 2855 on this same day and arrived in England on 22 July 1943. Upon disembarking in England, the 23^rd Field Company proceeded to Wentworth Hall near Mickleham in Surrey where the Headquarters, Army Troops, R.C.E. were located at the time.^[12]

On 16 August 1943 Bishop was posted to the 10^th Canadian Field Park Company, R.C.E for rations only, and on 1 September 1943 he was assigned to Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. at Wentworth Hall. Other engineer units at Wentworth Hall at this time included the 5^th, 20^th, and 23^rd Canadian Field Companies and the 2^nd Canadian Corps Field Park Company, R.C.E.

Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. moved to Bedford Camp for bridging training in mid-September 1943 and remained there until mid-October. After leaving Bedford Camp the Headquarters moved to Great Brookham. Bishop remained at Great Brookham until 17 March 1944 when the Headquarters moved to Goole in Yorkshire to participate in assault tidal crossings up to class 40 on the Trent and Ouse Rivers. These rivers were selected for the training because the tides ran high in them and the river mud was especially thick and plentiful.^[13] It must have become evident to Bishop by this time that his unit was being readied for the invasion and subsequent operations in Europe.

In April 1944 Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. and its subordinate units took part in Exercises "Kate" and "Fabius" in preparation for the assault crossing of the lower Seine that was planned near Jumièges for D-Day + 90 after the landings at Normandy. These exercises were conducted on the River Trent.

On 6 June 1944 the allied forces landed at Normandy. The only unit of the 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. to participate in the assault landings was the 5^th Canadian Field Company. The other units, including Bishop's, continued preparations for movement to the continent in the follow-on waves. To prepare for this movement Bishop attended a Unit Vehicle Waterproofing Instructors' Course to enable him to teach the men of his unit the procedures necessary to get their equipment and vehicles ashore from landing craft.

North West Europe (1944)

Captain Bishop embarked in the U.K. for deployment to the continent on 6 July 1944 and disembarked in France two days later. By 11 July 1944 the entire Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. were ashore in France at Colombiers-sur-Seule under the command of the C.R.E., Lieutenant Colonel N.I. Fraser, R.C.E. By 14 July the Headquarters was located in the Cairon-Lasson-Rosel triangle where the field companies began working on the clearance of Caen on a two-shift, dawn-to-dusk basis.^[14]

On 6 August 1944 Headquarters, 1^st and 2^nd Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. were placed under the command of the Chief Engineer, First Canadian Army in support of British I Corps and Canadian II Corps. The engineer mission following this reorganization was take over, maintain and improve the routes on a break-through of the enemy lines.^[15] Bishop's headquarters was then assigned to British I Corps on 15 August 1944 for the push to the River Seine and during the period from 3-9 September 1944 he and his unit moved into the St. Omer area.^[16]

Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. crossed the border into Belgium to Rousbrugge-Haringhe where it remained in the field for many days. By 28 September 1944 the unit was on the move again this time to Bourg-Léopold and on 1 October the Headquarters moved to the Brussels area at Brusseghem.^[17]

England (1944-1945)

Captain Bishop returned to England in October of 1944 and was posted to No. 1 Canadian Engineers Reinforcement Unit (CERU) at Guillemont Barracks in Cove, Hampshire. This unit consisted of a headquarters, two training wings, a depot and an administrative wing. On 23 November 1944 Bishop was posted to the "X8" list to attend training courses at the CERU. During the next two months he complete courses on the Bailey Bridge and on airfield construction at Ripon in North Yorkshire.

North West Europe (1945)

In January 1945 Captain Bishop returned to the continent and was posted back to Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E., which was then at Cuijk on the River Maas above Mook. At that location the engineers were assigned to road maintenance and construction in the rear area.^[18] By March the unit was a Nijmegen where Bishop took part in Operation "Plunder" and in the final phase of this operation his unit was involved with the construction of bridges across the Rhine at Emmerich.^[19]

Bishop remained with Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E. until the German surrender and beyond and was appointed Adjutant of the Headquarters on 19 June 1945. He departed the North West Europe Theater of operations on 28 July 1945.

England (1945-1946)

Bishop disembarked in England on 29 July 1945 and on 14 Jan 1946 he vacated his appointment as Adjutant of Headquarters, 1^st Canadian Army Troops, R.C.E., although he continued to draw Adjutant's pay. On 29 January 1946 he was posted to No. 6 District Depot in Halifax, Nova Scotia and shortly thereafter he departed for Canada.

Canada (1946-1962)

Captain Bishop returned to Canada on 7 February 1946. On 15 March 1946, following about 5 weeks of leave, he joined No. 6 Engineer Stores and Works Company, R.C.E. at Halifax and on 12 May 1946 he was appointed Adjutant of that company. In September of 1946 the designation of the Bishop's company was changed to No. 6 Works Company, R.C.E. and it became an Army Works Service (AWS) unit with detachments in Sydney, Aldershot and Debert.^[20] Immediately after the Second World War the AWS was responsible for all property and facilities in Canada that the army had acquired before and during the war. It took on the responsibility of repairing and renovating buildings and installations and where necessary the AWS disposed of large numbers of properties no longer need after the war.^[21]

Such was the nature of the work of Bishop's new company. On 30 September 1946 he was struck off the strength of No. 6 Works Company, R.C.E. and he vacated his appointment as Adjutant of the unit. On that same date he was released from the Canadian Army (Active) and the following day was transferred to the Canadian Army (Regular) in the rank of Captain. On 1 October 1946 he was also appointed Acting Officer Commanding, No. 6 Works Company, R.C.E.^[22]

Once in his new position Bishop began to travel to various facilities in Canada to implement the requirements of the AWS. Between 14 November 1946 and 30 May 1950 he made numerous trips from Halifax to Liverpool, New Glasgow, Durham, Windsor, Debert, Aldershot, Lunenburg, and Shelburne, Nova Scotia, as well as Fredericton, Moncton, and St. John, New Brunswick, Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, and Gander, St. Johns, Grand Falls and Stephenville, Newfoundland. These trips lasted anywhere from one to eight days in duration. During this period he also was posted to temporary duty and was attached to the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineering (RCSME) at Chilliwack, British Columbia between 29 May and 3 September 1949.

On 31 May 1950 Captain Bishop left No. 6 Works Company, R.C.E. and on the following day he reported to the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineering at Chilliwack. He remained in Chilliwack until 21 October 1950 and on the following day he was taken on the strength of No. 12 Works Company, R.C.E. He joined his new company at Regina on 11 November 1950. This company was headquartered at Regina with a detachment at Dundurn.^[23]

After his promotion to Major on 20 January 1951, Bishop left No. 12 Works Company and on 7 February he joined No. 10 Works Company at Winnipeg. He was appointed the Commanding Officer of this company on 1 March 1951. He was headquartered at Winnipeg with his company having detachments at Shilo and Fort Churchill.^[24]

On 30 November 1953, Major Bishop left No. 10 Works Company for duties as an Area Engineer. His service papers do not indicate in which area he served, but it is assumed that he remained in the Winnipeg area. On 4 January 1954 he joined Army Headquarters Branch of the Quarter-Master General's office of the Chief Engineer in Ottawa.

Bishop left Ottawa on 15 October 1957 to take up a new assignment at Headquarters, Camp Gagetown in New Brunswick. On 2 December 1957 he was appointed Commanding Officer of No. 8 Works Company, R.C.E. at Camp Gagetown. In the spring of 1958 Bishop and his company participated in Operation LIVESTOCK LIFT during the 1958 flood of the Saint John River when his men rescued some 135 stranded cattle.^[25]

On 31 March 1961 Major Bishop left No. 8 Works Company and the following day he was appointed Commanding Officer of No. 7 Army Works Company, R.C.E. at Fredericton, New Brunswick.^[26] He remained with this unit until 15 July 1961 when he was posted to No. 2 Personnel Depot at Camp Gagetown. He was appointed Acting Commanding Officer of No. 2 Personnel Depot until his retirement from the Army on 9 March 1962.

6. PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

a. Promotions: Alonzo Wentworth Bishop received the following promotions during his time in service:

b. Appointments: Major Bishop received the following appointments during his time in service:

7. MILITARY TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS

a. Military Training: Bishop received the following military training during his time in service.

b. Qualifications: Bishop earned the following qualifications during his time in service.

8. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Major Bishop received the following medals, awards and decorations during his time in service.^[27]

Major Bishop's medals, mounted as he wore them

9. MARRIAGE AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

The entries in Major Bishop's service record regarding his education, civil profession, marital status and next of kin were redacted and not readable and nothing is known of his life after leaving the Army other than what is shown in Section 11 below. Research into these areas is continuing.

10. RELEASE FROM SERVICE

Major Alonzo Wentworth Bishop was honourably released from service on the 9^th of March 1962. His total service was reckoned as shown in the tables below.

11. POST SERVICE LIFE

No detailed information has been uncovered regarding Major Bishop's life after leaving the Army. Shortly after the end of the Second World War his address was listed as 23 Pleasant Street in Truro, Nova Scotia.^[28] In November of 1962 his mailing address was listed as Oromocto, New Brunswick (Post Office Box 377). He died on the 9^th of October 1992 in New Brunswick at the age of 82. His death was certified by Sheila Haley of the Mac Donald Funeral Home Ltd. in St. Stephen, New Brunswick on the 23^rd of October 1992.^[29]

ADDENDUM NO. 1

 Ann Ward of Brampton, Ontario kindly supplied the information contained in this addendum.  Ann’s research indicates that the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia is full of Bishop families and it seems that I chose the wrong one for his. Alonzo's birth is recorded in the Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics found at www.novascotiagenealogy.com.  It was 21 March 1910. His parents were Archibald Wentworth Bishop and Lula May Smith.  Archibald's birth registration in 1872 shows his parents as James and Sarah (Orr) Bishop. They are also on the 1881 Census in Canard, Kings County, Nova Scotia. Their religion was Baptist at that time but it changed to Methodist by the time the 1891 census was taken. The 1911 Census which can be found at http://automatedgenealogy.com shows Archibald, Lulu, Alonzo and James - the latter being Archibald's father, living in Kentville, Kings County, Nova Scotia. There is a book entitled "Nova Scotia Eatons" by Charles Ernest Eaton which shows on page 505 that Alonzo married Elsie Marion Eaton on 16 August 1941.

 The author is grateful to Ann War for supplying these corrections to the original work.

REFERENCES

Books

1. KERRY, A.J. & Mc DILL, W.A. The History of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers, 1939-1946. Volume II. The Military Engineers Association of Canada, Ottawa, 1966.

2. HOLMES, K.J. The History of the Canadian Military Engineers, Volume III to 1971. Military Engineering Institute of Canada, Toronto, 1997.

3. MERRIAM WEBSTER. Geographical Dictionary, Springfield, MA, 1997.

4. STEWART, C.H. The Concise Lineages of the Canadian Army, 1855 to date. National Museums of Canada, undated.

Census Data

1881 Census of Canada, Family History Library Film 1375809, National Archives of Canada C-13173, District 17, Sub-District G, Division 2, Page 22, Family 106.

Internet Correspondence

Email dated 26 December 2011 from Ann Ward  of Brampton, Ontario, Canada to Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis, re: Corrections to the genealogy of Major Alonzo Wentworth Bishop.

Pamphlets

CANADIAN MOBILE PRINTING SECTION, RCASC. Register of Royal Canadian Engineers Officers Overseas. Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, undated.

Soldier's Papers

1. CANADIAN DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN'S AFFAIRS. Copies of service papers of Major Alonzo Wentworth Bishop, including the following documents:

a. Appointment in the Active Militia of Canada.

b. Canadian Field Force Officer's Declaration Paper.

c. Record of Service.

d. Service and Casualty Form.

e. Application for the Award of the Canadian Forces' Decoration.

f. Letter from Department of National Defence, Ottawa, Ontario to Headquarters, Prairie Command, Fort Osborne Barracks, Winnipeg, Manitoba, dated August 5, 1953, re: The Canadian Forces' Decoration.

g. Letter from Department of National Defence, Ottawa, Ontario to Headquarters, Prairie Command, Fort Osborne Barracks, Winnipeg, Manitoba, dated October 6, 1953, re: The Canadian Forces' Decoration.

h. War Service Records - Awards.

i. Verification Form - War Service Medals, 1939-45.

j. Statement of Death, Mac Donald Funeral Home Ltd., St. Stephen, New Brunswick, dated 23 October 1962.

2. DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE OF CANADA. Original documents pertaining to the service of Major Alonzo Wentworth Bishop, including the following:

a. Letter of transmittal to Major Bishop, dated 22 November 1962, re: Issue of testimonial binder.

b. Extract of the Record of Service of Major Bishop, dated 13 November 1962.

c. Certificate of Service of Major Bishop, dated 9 March 1962.

ENDNOTES

[1] Gaspereau is located in Kings County, about 52 miles north west of Halifax.

[2] 1881 Census of Canada, Family History Library Film 1375809, National Archives of Canada C-13173, District 17, Sub-District G, Division 2, Page 22, Family 106.

[3] These tags are in the author's collection.

[4] United Church of Canada Internet web site.

[5] This original certificate is in the author's collection.

[6] The North Nova Scotia Highlanders was formed on 1 December 1936 by the amalgamation of The Colchester and Hants Regiments less "C" Company, The Cumberland Highlanders and "C" Company, 6^th Machine Gun Battalion. The regiment was designated the North Nova Scotia Highlanders (M.G.), but the (M.G.) was dropped on 7 March 1941. The regiment later amalgamated with The Pictou Highlanders and the 189^th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery on 12 December 1954.

[7] Stewiacke is located in Colchester County, about 35 miles North West of Halifax.

[8] Brockville is a town in Leeds and Grenville County in southeast Ontario, on the St. Lawrence River. It is located 48 miles east northeast of Kingston, Ontario.

[9] Petawawa is located in Renfrew County in southeast Ontario.

[10] Sussex is located in Kings County in southern New Brunswick, approximately 43 miles northeast of St. John.

[11] KERRY & Mc DILL, pp. 68 and 71.

[12] Ibid., pp. 118-119.

[13] Ibid., p. 194.

[14] Ibid., p. 274.

[15] Ibid., p. 285.

[16] Ibid., pp. 294 and 312.

[17] Ibid., p. 321.

[18] Ibid., p. 371.

[19] Ibid., pp. 383 and 386.

[20] HOLMES, p. 164.

[21] Ibid., p. 165.

[22] All of this movement was done on paper and was simply an administrative exercise to account for Bishop's change of status from the Active to the Regular Army.

[23] HOLMES, p. 164.

[24] Ibid.

[25] HOLMES, p. 299.

[26] Ibid., p. 274.

[27] All of the items listed in the table are in the author's collection.

[28] Register of Officers of the Royal Canadian Engineers Overseas, p. 2.

[29] Statement of Death.