FISHER, Alan Clayton

Name:             FISHER      Alan Clayton
Rank:              Rifleman     103892                                                                                                                            Regiment:       1st Canadian Army - 3rd Canadian Infantry Division - 8th Infantry Brigade                                                               Queen's Own Rifles of Canada                                                                                                                                   "in peace prepared"                                                                                                                                                     Canadian Infantry Corps                                                                                                        Residence:     Saltford - Township of Colborne - County of Huron - Ontario                                                        Birth:               September 13, 1915 - Saltford - Township of Colborne - County of Huron - Ontario                         Died:               September 9, 1944                                 Age: 29 years
Cemetery:       Calais Canadian War Cemetery - St. Inglevert - Leabeinghem - Pas de Calais - France                                          6 B 9                                                                                                                                            Parents:          Mr. Wesley and Minnie Fisher - Saltford - Ontario                                                                    Brothers:         Joseph and Milton and Thomas who was serving overseas.                                                    Sister:             Mrs. Esther Horn - Detroit - USA 

Alan was the youngest of his family and growing up he was athletic and enjoyed softball and baseball. He had completed his primary education up to the end of grade 8. His hobby was raising pigeons and racing them. He was a member of Victoria Street United Church and was employed at the Goderich Organ Company at the corner of East Street and Cambria as a wood machinist. He had served in the Reserves in 1941 with the Middlesex and Huron Regiment.                                                                                                                  He enlistment in London - Ontario on August 10, 1942 he was 5'  11" tall and he weighed 163 pounds. He had a medium complexion with blue eyes and dark brown hair.

Canada

He was sent to No. 1 District Depot and then assigned to No. 10 Basic Training Centre in Kitchener - Ontario on August 14th where he was assigned to the Royal Canadian Artillery Heavy Anti-Aircraft. On September 13th he was posted to No. A1 Armament Training Camp also in Kitchener. One month later he was posted to A2 Canadian Army Training Centre in Petawawa - Ontario and two weeks later on October 30th he was posted to No. A23 the Coastal Defence and anti-aircraft artillery advanced training centre - Eastern passage and Camp Debert. On November 28th he is assigned to Bedford -  Nova Scotia to the anti-aircraft Reinforcement Camp. At the beginning of December he is Taken on Strength with the 48th Light anti-aircraft Battery at Bedford. On December 8th he goes AWOL and forfeits one day of pay.

Newfoundland

He then is posted to Torbray - Newfoundland. On the first day of 1943 he was awarded the pay rate of $1.40 per day up from $1.30 per day and three months later on March 1st his rate of pay increases to $1.50 per day.  While based at Torbray he completed his field checks, his light arms practises, his advance field checks and his light machine gun training. On September 6th he is posted to the 54th heavy Anti Aircraft Battery in Torbray where he stays until September when he is posted to the 25th Anti Aircraft Regiment and then is Taken off Service from the Regiment. On October 7th he received the acting rank of Lance Bombardier and a day later he completes his Sten gun and carbine training 2nd class. On October 17th he receives a furlough from November 17-30 but does not return until December 12th. Three days later he is appointed the permanent rank of Bombardier. On the last day of 1943 he is again posted to the 25th Anti-Aircraft Regiment in Torbray.                                                        On January 1, 1944 at Torbray he was posted to the 148th Light Anti Aircraft Battery. On March 4th he reverts to the rank of gunner. He is Struck off Service from the 25th Anti Aircraft Regiment and posted to No. 1 Transit Camp at Windsor - Nova Scotia. He is also granted embarkation leave from May 12-18, 1944. He then received his anti aircraft night vision qualifications and on June 7th he is posted to No. 1 Training Battalion at Camp Debert - Nova Scotia. For the next month he continues with his training and received 2nd class for the carbine, and 1st class for the Bren gun. He then trained on light mortars with high explosive shells, trained on PIATS, trained on Sten guns and trained with the #36 and # 77 grenades. By the end of his training he had become exert with the carbine. On July 18th he embarks from Halifax and Canada and is Struck off Service to the Canadian Army in Canada. A day later while at sea he is Taken on Service with the Canadian Army overseas and assigned to No. 2 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit upon disembarking in England on July 27th. That same day he reported for duty as ordered. Two weeks later he is Taken on Service with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada.

In the field

Rifleman Fisher goes overseas into France on August 13th. On August 15 he he posted to the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. He wrote a letter home on August 22nd saying he was in France. A letter was then received dated September 8th, one day before he was killed. In this letter he mentioned he had written his mother and that he had just read 8 letters from Canada. In his letter he wrote about how the French drank apple cider like we drink water and that the French countryside was just lousy with orchards.                                                            On September 4, 1944, Hitler had ordered that his defences in Calais, Boulogne, Dunkirk and the Island of Walcheren shored up as he wanted to control these areas as along as was possible.                                    Before Boulogne, the Queen's Own were at La Capelle and he they were under very heavy enemy artillery fire and this made it difficult for them to destroy the heavy enemy steel and concrete enemy bunkers.                          He was killed in action just four days prior to his birthday. On September 9th he was wounded in the left upper body and leg and was admitted to #22 Canadian Field Ambulance and it was there that he died from his wounds. He was wounded northwest of La Capelle in a small garden. He was originally buried in the north-west corner of a Roman Catholic Cemetery at La Capelle in a small garden.                                                                              The 8th Infantry Brigade helped secure the port of Dieppe and helped to destroy the German forces in the coastal belt up to Bruges. The Queen’s Own were then to go into the Havre peninsula and to secure the port of Le Havre with the main objective being Pas de Calais, Flanders and then capture the Port of Antwerp.                On December 7, 1945 a letter was written to the Fisher family stating that Rifleman Fisher had been reburied. He had originally been buried north-west of the Roman Catholic cemetery at La Chapelle in a small garden.

Rifleman Fisher was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the France-Germany Star, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer service medal with clasp. He is honoured and remembered on the Goderich - Ontario Cenotaph. He is also honoured and remembered on the Virtual War Memorial at the Queen's Own Rifles Regimental Museum in Toronto - Ontario. As well he is honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrance at St Paul's Bloor Street Anglican Church which the the Regimental Church. 

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