FISHER, Lance Corporal, FRED, V C, 24066. 13th Bn. Canadian Infantry (Quebec Regt.). 24th April 1915. Age 22. Son of Mr. W. H. Fisher, of 100, Fort St., Montreal. Menenpoort Panel 24 - 26 - 28 - 30 Fred Fisher was de eerste Canadese militair die het Victoria Cross verdiende tijdens de eerste wereldoorlog. Uittreksel uit de "The London Gazette," No. 29202, dated 22nd June, 1915 : "Op 23 april 1915 rukte hij, onder een regen van geschut, in de buurt van Sint-Juliaan op met de mitrailleur waarvoor hij verantwoordelijk was en ondersteunde de dekking van een terugtrekkende batterij, waarbij hij vier mannen van zijn team verloor. Toen hij later vier andere mannen kreeg, rukte hij opnieuw naar de vuurlijn op waar hij in een hevige kogelregen gedood werd toen hij zijn mitrailleur in werking stelde om de naderende steuntroepen dekking te verschaffen." Fred Fisher was the son of William Henry Fisher (1861-1935) and Alice McGibbon (1867-1946). He was born in St Catharines, Ontario, 3 Aug 1894, and had two brothers, Alexander Fisher (1889-1959) and William Henry Fisher (1892-1937), and one sister, Alice Mary (1898-?). Photographs of Fisher are rare. One appeared in a newspaper when the VC award was announced and is extremely poor. There are three photos of him in his high school year book, 1912, on graduation. The Canadian War Museum has a painting done of him (after death, and I believe the newspaper photo was used as reference), and can be viewed on its website. Westmount Academy (his high school in Montreal) has a painting. Only one document in his personnel file in the NAC gives his name as Frederick; all the rest record it as Fred. Fisher's father registered his birth in November 1894 and gave his name as Fred. His CEF attestation form gives his date of birth as 3 Aug 1895, but that is incorrect as he would have been born after his father registered his birth. Even his death is confused. His VC citation would lead you to believe he was killed in action on 23 Apr 1915, but close examination of the war diary of the 13th Battalion and his personnel records reveals he was killed in the early hours of 24 Apr 15. Fisher's VC is in the Black Watch Museum in Montreal (the Black Watch is the perpetuating unit of the 13th Battalion). His War Medal and Victory Medal are in the hands of a private collector. Missing is his 1914-1915 Star. Fisher had never married and had no known children. His personnel record citation in the National Archives is RG 150 (1992-93/166) Box 3105-29, Fred Fisher. The citation for the registration of his birth is Ontario Archives, MS 929, Reel 121, Registration 17901.