William Bishop: Difference between revisions

|first            = The Forgotten Son (novel)

|job2             = Lance Corporal

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' was born [[14 August]] [[1945]], in Mitcham, London, with the full name of William Daniel Michael. (PROSE: ''Legacies'') His father, Anthony, was a bookkeeper, while his mother, Susan, was a teacher. He had two sisters, Samantha and Michelle, and a brother, Daniel. Samantha called him "Bill" and "Billy".  His grandfather was with the Eighth Army in North Africa during World War II. (PROSE: ''[[Beast of Fang Rock (novel)|Beast of Fang Rock]], [[Moon Blink (novel)|Moon Blink]]'') He was a rifleman (private) in the [[Green Jackets]] 5th Battalion stationed near [[Plymouth]]. In [[March]] [[1969]] he was called in to assist the pile up on the A38 [[Liskeard]] Bypass. He was assigned to Colonel [[Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart|Lethbridge-Stewart]] and helped in combating the [[Robot Yeti]] in [[Bledoe]]. He took a shine to [[Anne Travers]] when he met her. He used to love reading [[science fiction]] novels when he was a kid. Lethbridge-Stewart considered Bishop to be good officer material and decided Bishop would make a good addition to the special team he planned on building. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Forgotten Son (novel)|The Forgotten Son]]'')  

He remained in contact with Anne, who took to calling him "Bill" because she thought it annoyed him. But secretly he liked it. In April 1969 he was transferred from the Royal Green Jackets to the Scots Guards by General Hamilton, and promoted to lance corporal, serving as adjutant to Lethbridge-Stewart at Chelsea Barracks. He was read into the secret mission to find proof of alien incursions in the United Kingdom. He assisted Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne on Fang Rock, developing a strong friendship with [[Owain Vine]], Lethbridge-Stewart's nephew. With Owain, he was astral projected through time and witnessed the events of [[1902]], including the arrival of the [[Rutan]] and [[the TARDIS]]. While on Fang Rock, a mutual affection developed between Bishop and Anne. He was electrocuted during a fight with a Rutan, but survived with only burns. He was put on the fast track course at Mons Officer Cadet Training School, to undergo officer training while serving alongside Lethbridge-Stewart. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Beast of Fang Rock (novel)|Beast of Fang Rock]]'', TV: ''[[Horror of Fang Rock (TV story)|Horror of Fang Rock]]'')  

His relationship with Anne continued to blossom over the following months, and he helped Anne when her friend, Patricia Richards, was on the run from both Americans and Russian, after she rescued an alien baby. (PROSE: ''[[Moon Blink (novel)|Moon Blink]]'') He hit is off with Samson Ware from the moment they met, to the point where both he and Anne invited Samson out for drinks to celebrate Bishops twenty-fourth birthday. (PROSE: ''[[The Showstoppers (novel)|The Showstoppers]]'') His Mons training concluded early September and he was given the official officer's rank of second lieutenant in time for the Corps official relocation to Dolerite Base beneath Edinburgh Castle. (PROSE: ''[[The Grandfather Infestation (novel)|The Grandfather Infestation]]'')  

In October of that year he found himself in a slight conflict with Anne when he accidentally let slip that he knew something about her father's abduction earlier in the year. Despite orders from Lethbridge-Stewart, he finally revealed what he knew, and supported Anne's investigation. He and Samson arranged a party for Anne, to celebrate her thirty-first birthday (PROSE: ''[[The Lost Skin]]'') When he bumped into Owain Vine on Santorini the following month he called the younger man 'Little G', demonstrating the friendship between them (Bishop was often called 'ginge' growing up, and ended up taking on the nickname 'G' in defiance of the slur). (PROSE: ''[[Blood of Atlantis (novel)|Blood of Atlantis]]'') He commanded a mission to Egypt at the end of November, leading Anne and Lance Corporal Sally Wright. (PROSE: ''[[Mind of Stone (novel)|Mind of Stone]]'') He spent Christmas with Anne and her family, and during one private moment over a little game of 'what if' he gave Anne a plastic ring from a Christmas cracker. Although they joked, it became very clear that the gesture meant a great deal to both of them. He organised a Boxing Day meal for the Dolerite Base command staff and their families. His sister and nephew attended.  (PROSE: ''[[Home for Christmas (short story)|Home for Christmas]]'')  

In an alternative timeline, Bishop was one of the survivors in a Southern England mostly subsumed by the [[Great Intelligence]]. He rescued Owain Vine from the Yeti in Bledoe, but shortly after his mind also became subsumed by the Intelligence. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legacies (short story)|Legacies]]'')