BISHOP Walter James COMPLETED with thanks

[mmm45]

Anna
Its a British Regiment
Maybe he had Great War Service with them and then WW2 service within Australian armed forces as the ww2 records seem to match.

And RSL here  http://www.rsl.org.au/

Ady

[Aussie1947]

Anna,

Ady is correct, Walter J Bishop served in WW1 with the Royal West Kent Regiment with Regimental Services Numbers G/30802 and L/12169.  He was issued with the British War Medal and WW1 Victory Medal.

During WW2 Walter J Bishop enlisted at Griffith NSW with the Australian Army Militia with service number N202482 and served from 1st April 1942 until 30th September 1945.  At discharge Walter was with the 17th Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) holding the rank of sergeant.

The VDC was modelled on the British Home Guard and was established in July 1940 by the Returned Services League (RSL), it initially comprised of soldiers whom had served in WW1.  The VDC was taken over by the  Australian Government in May 1941 and given key roles in local defence, gathering local intelligence and training for guerilla warfare.

Gerry

[cando]

He was born in Soham Cambridgeshire, England about 1899 and travelled to Australia in 1926.

Births Mar 1899
BISHOP Walter James  Newmarket 3b/521

Walter J BISHOP 25 years, farm labourer, embarked from London on 12 May 1925 on the BENDIGO ticketed to Melbourne.  His last address in the UK  -  C/- Mr W Farmer, Towns End, Soham, Cambs.

He is with his widowed mother Carrie, on the 1901 census.

Cheers
Cando

A decade later there is a Walter BISHOP of the right age, scholar, boarding with a family of which the head is elderly and he is not as relative.

I would suggest that Walter was the only son.  This may be his parents' marriage

Marriages Jun 1898   
BISHOP James    Newmarket 3b/1168   
ELSDEN Carrie    Newmarket 3b/1168

Death - Carrie is noted as 29 years of age on the 1901 census so this could be her husband.
Deaths Jun 1900   
BISHOP James    27 years    Newmarket 3b/290

District Newmarket and spans the boundaries of the counties of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk

You would need Walter's birth certificate to validate his father's name.

The enlistment papers for the VDC would also be helpful.  The address of the NOK would be listed.  D could be an A    ...but you would need to see an image of the original.  I think the subject of NOK has been discussed before and I if I recall it was mentioned that your legal NOK if you were married, was your wife. 

Cando 

[annamaywong]

 
Thank you Ady, Gerry and Cando again for your helpful information in respect of the above Gentleman and it has sorted out a lot of the queries we had.  My Cousin has quite a few letters written by this Gentleman to his Aunt, but they pre-date 1935. 

It is quite strange that although Walter and Annie are buried in the same Graveyard I could not find any trace of them together in the Electoral Rolls, and I checked quite a few in between 1934 & 1955  I will have to have another look.

The NoK is very interesting so will start to look for an A or D Bishop as mentioned by Sue.

Cheers

Anna

[Aussie1947]

Anna,

There is a nery brief mention on this site that Walter Bishop was the President of the Griffith RSL and an original sioldier settler. 

It is likely thay he received his MBE from his work with the RSL and his Soldier Settlement Farm was farm 1427 as per the Electoral Rolls.

http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/objectsthroughtime/records/

Gerry

[John1983]

Hi Anna, Walters last address was actually the home i now own. According to our electoral rolls, his address changed from the Griffith farm listed here by others to my current address sometime late 50s to early 60s. Interestingly we both also spent time in the same reserve battalion- the 17th. Hopefully this reaches you, i may be able to give you an idea of where he resided etc.

[John1983]

Sorry Anna, saw your message but can't pm you for.some.reason at the moment.

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