MY BELOVED SON

CORPORAL JR BISHOP

30TH BTTN AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY

29TH SEPTEMBER 1917 AGE 24

BURIED: AEROPLANE CEMETERY, WEST-VLAANDEREN, BELGIUM


Both Corporal Bishop's parents were alive so, from the use of the personal pronoun 'my' as opposed to 'our', I assume that the inscription they chose is a quotation from the New Testament, Mark 1:11, when, following Christ's baptism, a voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased".
In the section that asks for further biographical details on the form for the Roll of Honour of Australia, Mr Bishop quotes from the letter of condolence he received from his son's Company Commander, Captain Adams: "I valued Corporal Bishop highly as one of the best men in the company as well as in the battalion - his men and his commander miss him - cheerful under the worst conditions - and a great help to the men who all deplore his death. I looked upon him as a personal friend and he was the most popular NCO in the platoon, probably in the whole company".