Fred Fisher, VC Road

This road is named in honour of Lance-Corporal Frederick Fisher, VC.

Fred Fisher was born in St. Catharine’s, Ontario on August 3, 1895. His family moved to Montreal where Fisher was studying Applied Science at McGill University when the First World War began.

On April 23, 1915, Lance-Corporal Fisher was serving in Belgium with the machine gun section of the 13th Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Coming up from St Julien that day during the Second Battle of Ypres, he discovered two 18-pounder field guns in danger of being overrun by attacking German infantry. Fisher brought his machine gun into action, and with the help of six other soldiers, held the enemy off until the field guns could be withdrawn. Later the same day he was killed during another attempt to move forward.

For his part in this first major engagement of the war in which Canadian troops were involved, Lance-Corporal Fisher was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously, and became the first Canadian from a Canadian unit to win the decoration in that conflict.

Inscription

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Citation from London Gazette, no.29202, 23 June 1915.

“On 23rd 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.”

Ce chemin est nommé en l’honneur du caporal suppléant Frederick Fisher, VC.

Fred Fisher naît à St. Catharines, en Ontario, le 3 août 1895. Vers 1907, sa famille déménage à Montréal, au Québec, et quand éclate la Première Guerre mondiale, Fisher est étudiant en sciences appliquées à l’Université McGill.

Le 23 avril 1915, le Caporal suppléant Fisher sert en Belgique avec la section de mitrailleuses du 13eBataillon d’infanterie du Corps expéditionnaire canadien. Ce jour-là, en arrivant de Saint-Julien, durant la deuxième bataille d’Ypres, il s’aperçoit que deux canons de campagne de 18 livres risquent d’être pris en raison d’une attaque de l’infanterie allemande. Fisher met sa mitrailleuse en marche et, avec l’aide de six autres soldats, repousse l’ennemi jusqu’à ce que les canons de campagne puissent être retirés. Il est tué plus tard dans la journée lors d’une autre avance.

La Croix de Victoria a été décernée à titre posthume au Caporal suppléant Fisher pour son rôle dans ce premier engagement d’envergure de la guerre impliquant des troupes canadiennes. C’est le premier Canadien appartenant à une unité canadienne à obtenir cet honneur dans ce conflit.

Le texte de l’inscription figure dans la section anglaise.