Ernest Bishop, Unsung Hero

Did you know that Ernest Bishop had a "nom de plume"? He used the name Gordon Bishop professionally in his early days as a photographer. We first spied his bespectacled face at the wedding of Elsie and Steve Tanner in 1967. A few years later, he met Emily Nugent at his mother's funeral and a love story with a tragic end began.

Everyone thinks of Ernie as shy and somewhat nerdy. Indeed, his looks and personal style might indicate a certain awkward relationship with fashion and the hip lifestyle of the swinging 60s and 70s. But, beneath the cardigan was a man of passion, risk and artisitc talent and temperment. Read on through the link to discover Ernest Bishop's hidden depths!

By day, he was a mild mannered photographer and Lay preacher. But by night, he played piano for Rita Littlewood in many a Manchester honkytonk. He's been to strip shows and photographed exotic dancers. He's even been jailed in Spain for taking pornographic photos of models when things got out of hand on a business trip! He's been caught drinking in pubs after hours as well! Tsk!

His relationship with Emily Nugent, whom he married in 1972, was more tempestuous and passionate than you would think. He was stubborn and insisted on continuing to photograph the seamy side of Weatherfield's clubs, associating with all sorts of divs and trollops for the sake of his art which annoyed Emily to no end. She decided the only way to make sure he kept his nose clean was to accompany him as his assistant and even, on one occasion, took over the assignment shooting the topless dancers herself! It was a different story when the shoe was on the other foot! Double standard, Ernie?

Emily and Ernie took to the stage several times acting in community sponsored plays and he was often called upon to lead singalongs in the Rovers with his talented fingers tickling the ivories. When Emily went on holiday with all the ladies of the street, he would go out with the lads for a jar or two. He did have a softer side, though, and he and Emily fostered several children at different times. They always regretted not having a family of their own.

After the photography shop went bankrupt, he changed careers to enter the exciting and dangerous world of high finance (wages clerk at Baldwin's Casuals). It would be his undoing when he would be shot and killed during an armed robbery at the factory.

Emily and Ernest loved each other dearly and Emily always stood by her man. She was devastated when he met his untimely end, even taking over his job at the factory to be a little closer to his memory. (Mind you, I don't think I would have been able to sit in that office where he was shot and work every day!) To this day, she reveres his memory and has even managed to forgive the man that shot him, Edward Thomas ("Tommo") Jackson.

Ernest Bishop. Unsung Hero had hidden depths and we miss him very much! (thanks to Corrie.net for some of the details of Ernest's life)

We have many more unsung heroes here on Corrieblog.