Lance-Corporal Frederick Fisher, VC
First Canadian-born soldier to win the Victoria Cross
13th Battalion, Royal Highlanders of Canada, CEF.
b. 03 August 1895, St. Catharines, Ontario.
d. 23 April 1915, Ypres, Belgium.
b. 03 August 1895, St. Catharines, Ontario.
d. 23 April 1915, Ypres, Belgium.
From the London Gazette [as quoted by Mrs. Joanna Legg & LCol (ret) Graham Parker, OBE, of The Great War website]:
War Office, 23rd June, 1915Lance Corporal Fisher, VC, was buried in his trench and the exact location of his grave is not known. Read more about his exploits here. He is memorialised, along with 54,896 other officers and men from overseas regiments of the British Commonwealth, in the Menin Gate war memorial at Ypres, Belgium.
His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and Men for most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty:-
No. 24066 Lance-Corporal Frederick Fisher, 13th Canadian Battalion.
On 23rd [sic 22nd] April 1915 in the neighbourhood of St. Julien, he went forward with the machine gun, of which he was in charge, under heavy fire, and most gallantly assisted in covering the retreat of a battery, losing four men of his gun team.
Later, after obtaining four more men, he went forward again to the firing line and was himself killed while bringing his machine gun into action under very heavy fire, in order to cover the advance of supports.
Cross-posted to Taylor & Company.
posted by Chris Taylor at 5:20 p.m.
3 Comments:
Lance Corporal Fisher, VC, was buried in his trench and the exact location of his grave is not known.
Unbelievable. Not even a grave marker for the man.
His name is inscribed in the wall of the Menin Gate, along with the fifty-thousand-odd others from Commonwealth expeditionary forces whose war graves could not be definitively located. =(
A noble gesture, to be sure. But even so, he was buried in his trench. Ugh.
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