Frederick Fisher

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Frederick Fisher (August 3, 1894, St. Catharines, Ontario - April 23, 1915), was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the first Canadian-born man to win VC while serving in the Canadian Army.

He was 20 years old, and a Lance-Corporal in the 13th (Royal Highlanders of Canada) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On April 23, 1915 in the neighbourhood of St. Julien, Belgium, the remnant of the 14th Battalion was forced to withdraw as the enemy were only 200 yards away and advancing and threatening to overrun a Canadian artillery battery. Lance-Corporal Fisher, along with six other men, went forward with his machine-gun and, under heavy fire, covered the retreat of the battery, losing four men in the process. This action allowed for the Canadian 18 pounders to be hauled out of danger. Later, when he had obtained four more men from the 14th Battalion, all went forward again to the front line, however only Fisher made it. The remainder were killed or wounded.

Meanwhile, the 13th Battalion was under heavy fire from three sides and suffering heavy casualties. Fisher set up his gun at another position to attack the oncoming Germans and was subsequently killed while bringing his machine-gun into action under very heavy fire.

[edit] References

Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
VCs of the First World War - The Western Front 1915 (Peter F. Batchelor & Christopher Matson, 1999)
"On the Battlefields", From the archives of "Maclean's Magazine", Edited by Michael Benedict, Penguin Canada, 2002 ISBN 0-14-301341-6, page 95