Edward Earl Bishop
PFC Edward E. Bishop served with Item Company, Third Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 22 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 267378
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 17, 1917
at Lebanon, MO
Parents
Orville Erodeus Bishop
Bessie (Grigsby) Bishop
Education
Grammar school
Occupation & Employer
Civilian Conservation Corps
Service Life
Entered Service
August 22, 1938
at Denver, CO
Home Of Record
Clifton, CO
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Margaret L. Bishop
Military Specialty
Machine Gunner
Primary Unit
I/3/8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Bishop served with the 6th Marines in Iceland during 1941 – 1942.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Edward E. Bishop served with Item Company, 8th Marines during the battle of Tarawa.
The amphibious assault on Betio, Tarawa atoll – Operation GALVANIC – commenced on 20 November 1943. The Third Battalion, 8th Marines were in reserve for the landing operation, but were ordered to stand by in their LCVPs and were afloat by 1015. At 1200, the battalion’s first wave began heading towards Beach Red 3 to support the heavily-engaged BLT 2-8.
Nothing went as planned. Item Company approached in the fourth wave; one boat was hit causing “considerable casualties,” and the rest pulled back and attempted to land on Beach Red 2. They intermingled with the fifth wave, grounded on the coral reef, and once again took casualties. The surviving boats waited in the water outside of small-arms range, and finally managed to disembark the rest of Item Company between 1630 and 1800 hours. Those who reached shore were attached to battered Love Company and participated in an attack south towards the main airfield.
Field Music First Class John E. Lane was one Item Company Marine who managed to wade ashore using the pier for cover. He never forgot the experience.
Agile swimmer John Lane approached the pierhead and, as bullets sputtered around him, thought of a cribbage game on the beach to which he had been invited by an addict named Bishop. Gaining the pierhead, Lane happened to see a half-submerged body a few feet away; he did not have to pull the corpse over to see who it was, for a cribbage board was sticking out of one of the back pockets.
PFC Bishop’s exact date of death is not known for certain. Originally, he was reported as killed in action by shrapnel on 20 November 1943; battalion muster rolls and service record book both use this date, and it matches with Lane’s memory. However, a certificate of death issued in March 1944 amended the date to 22 November 1943. This is Bishop’s official date of death; the reasons for this change are not known.
Burial Information or Disposition
“2nd Marine Division Cemetery, row and grave number unknown.” No further specifics known.
(This burial reportedly took place on 22 November, and may be the source of the change in Bishop’s death date.)
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 33, Plot 16, Row 1, Grave 8.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Margaret Bishop.
Location Of Loss
Bishop’s battalion landed at various locations between Beach Red 2 and Red 3.
