245030 Lieutenant Harry Ian McKay Bishop was born on 19 May 1915.

At the start of World War 2 he was employed as a Mental Health Nurse Probationer at Graylingwell Mental Hospital, Graylingwell, Chichester

Ian was commissioned into The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) on June 28, 1942.

On 22 March 1943, Ian, together with Lieutenant Bob Geldard, reported for duty with the 11th Parachute Battalion and they were two of the earliest officers in the battalion.

In the summer of 1944 Ian married Myra Howard in Norfolk.

At Arnhem he was assigned to Battalion Headquarters as the Admin Officer. Before the arrival of the main party of 4th Parachute Brigade on the Monday September 18, 1944. According to the 4^th Brigade Orders for the advance party, there were six personnel from the 11th Parachute Battalion. The names of only four of them are currently known: Lieutenant H.I.M. Bishop; Sergeant W.S.J. Smith; Private G.F. Aston; and Private L. Kennedy.

The Advance Party took off on their Dakota aircraft, Chalk no. 146, from Barkston Heath airfield. They were going to drop on drop zone ‘X’ north of Renkum village, with 1st Parachute Brigade on September 17, 1944.

On Monday evening September 18, 1944, Ian was at the Divisional Headquarters at Hartenstein Hotel in Oosterbeek. At the time he was already wounded but still doing his job. Because of being wounded he stayed at Divisional Headquarters together with Major Dickie Lonsdale (the second in command of the 11th Parachute Battalion), Lieutenant The Lord Buckhurst and Lieutenant Atkinson, all three having been wounded and members of The 11th battalion.

After nine days hard fighting Ian managed to get across the river to allied occupied territory during operation Berlin.

Following the war, Ian returned to Sussex and lived with his wife Myra. Throughout the 1950s, they were living in Dyke Road, Brighton. He remained in Brighton until he died there in 1976.