Frederick Fisher

Canada's First Victoria Cross Hero of the First World War

He was just 19 years old when he faced overwhelming enemy fire, lost four members of his machine-gun team, and chose to return to the battlefield. His courage would earn him the Victoria Cross, but he would never live to receive it.

Frederick "Fred" Fisher was born on 3 August 1895 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Raised in Montreal, Quebec, he attended Westmount Academy before studying Applied Science at McGill University. A talented sportsman with a passion for football, tennis, swimming, and shooting, Fisher had a promising future ahead of him. When the First World War erupted in 1914, however, he answered the call to serve. He enlisted in September 1914 and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, eventually serving as a Lance Corporal in the 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada).

On 23 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium, Fisher faced the moment that would define his legacy. Near the village of St. Julien, German infantry were advancing dangerously close to a Canadian artillery battery. Two 18-pounder field guns were at risk of capture, and the situation was rapidly becoming desperate.

Realizing the danger, Fisher led his machine-gun team forward under intense enemy fire. With six fellow soldiers, he established a position and opened fire on the advancing Germans, helping the artillerymen withdraw their guns. The resistance came at a terrible cost. Four members of his gun team were lost during the action.

But Fisher's extraordinary bravery did not end there.

After obtaining four replacement men, he advanced toward the firing line again, determined to support the troops struggling against the German assault. Under devastating fire, he was killed while bringing his machine gun into action to cover the advance of reinforcements.

For his remarkable courage and self-sacrifice, Lance Corporal Frederick Fisher was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the British Empire's highest decoration for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. His official citation, published in The London Gazette, Issue 29202, on 23 June 1915, praised how he "most gallantly assisted in covering the retreat of a battery" before returning to the firing line, where he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Fisher became the first Canadian serving in a Canadian unit to earn the Victoria Cross during the First World War, securing his place in Canada's military history.

His wartime service was also recognized through the 1914–15 Star, awarded for qualifying service in a theatre of war during the opening years of the conflict; the British War Medal, recognizing his overseas military service; and the Victory Medal, commemorating qualifying service in the Allied war effort. Together with his Victoria Cross, these honours represent both his military service and his exceptional sacrifice.

Frederick Fisher's remains were never identified, and his name is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres, Belgium, alongside thousands of Commonwealth soldiers who have no known grave.

What makes a hero? For Frederick Fisher, it was the decision to move forward when others depended on him, even after witnessing the devastating cost of battle. He never returned to his studies, his family, or the future that awaited him in Canada. Yet more than a century later, his courage continues to stand as a powerful example of duty, sacrifice, and extraordinary bravery.