FISHER Wilfred

The war memorials at Old Whittington and Sheepbridge do not list Wilfred Fisher, however there is a William Fisher listed who as yet I have been unable to find. I wonder if William and Wilfred are the same person, but without confirmation I will still continue to look for a William Fisher and although Wilfred is not listed he was a Whittington man and fought and died in WW1 and in my opinion should have his life recorded.

Wilfred was born on 8th December 1891, his parents were James Edward and Priscilla Fisher. He was baptised at Newbold church on January 4^th 1892, at this time his parents lived at Occupation Road Newbold. His older sister Priscilla who was born in 1887 was baptised on the same day.

In 1896 Wilfred was attending Websters Endowed School (better known now as Mary Swanwicks) and his address was given as Prospect Road Old Whittington, by the 1901 census the family had moved again and were living at Newbridge St. Wilfred had six other siblings as well as Priscilla. Edith born 1884, Mary Ellen born 1890, Elizabeth born 1895, Agnes born 1897, Joseph born 1899 and Elsie born in 1901.

By 1911 Edward and Priscilla had two further children Eva born 1903 and James Edward born in 1906. The family were now living at 32 Johnson St Sheepbridge.

Wilfred married in 1914 when he was 21, his bride was Hilda May Bonson who was 19 years old. They were both residents of Whittington at the time of their marriage.

A daughter Hilda was born to the couple later in 1914.

Wilfred enlisted on 2^nd September 1914. He worked at Cresswell Colliery and enlisted at Cresswell possibly with fellow workmates. He joined the 12^thBattalion Sherwood Foresters Service Number 14621, the Battalion were attached to 24^th Division. He arrived in France on 29 August 1915, by the time Wilfred arrived the battalion had converted to a Pioneer Battalion. In early September the 24^th Division marched across France and were held in Reserve for the British attack at Loos, they entered the Battle on 26^th September 1915 and suffered heavy losses.

Amongst other things the 12^th were famous for producing the ‘Wipers Times’. In early 1916 the Battalion were stationed at Ypres. They came across an old and disused printing press and a man who had been a printer in peacetime got it going and printed a page.[1]

A copy of the ‘Wipers Times’

It was full of jokes, reflections and mock adverts such as the one above for a Flamethrower!

In 1916 the 12^th were involved in the German gas attack at Wulverghem and next they were moved on to the Somme. Wilfred was certainly involved in the thick of the fighting. At some point during the Somme battles Wilfred was awarded the Military Medal.

In the issue dated 27^th October 1916, Wilfreds brother in law Haydn Cook told the Worksop Guardian that “ Wilfred had been awarded the Military Medal. He had been acting as a guide for the Observation Officers, and it is thought that it will be in connection with this work that the honour has been gained. He was very clever at map reading and sketching”.[2]

There was also a further report in the Derbyshire Courier 11 November 1916:

The report reads;

Private Wilf Fisher whose home is on Johnson Street Sheepbridge has won the Military Medal. Writing to Mrs Sheldon at Sheepbridge he says “Well you ask how I gained the honour. To tell you the truth I got it for devotion to duty”. This is his modest way of dismissing the subject.

The Military Medal was awarded for gallantry and devotion to duty when under fire in battle on land on the recommendation of a Commander-in-Chief in the Field. [3]

The Military Medal above.

Reading through the war diaries for this time there is no mention of why Wilfred might have been awarded this medal. Sadly the diaries very rarely mention the lower ranks, only the officers are normally mentioned by name!

The 24^th Division were involved in further battles in 1917 and into 1918, whether Wilfred came home on leave at all during this time we cannot know or which battles he personally took part in, but the War Diaries for 12^th Battalion show that Wilfred would have come under attack at various times during this period.

He was killed on 21^st March 1918 during the 2^nd Battle of the Somme, Wilfred was 26 years old. He is remembered on panel 52-54 at the Pozieres Memorial.

The Pozieres Memorial relates to the period in March and April 1918 when the Allied Fifth Army was driven back across the former Somme battlefields, The memorial commemorates over 14,000 casualties of the United Kingdom and 300 of the South African Forces who have no known grave and died on the Somme between 21 March and 7 August 1918.

Pozieres Memorial (picture CWGC)

The memorial records that Wilfred was awarded the Military Medal, although his medal card below does not mention it.

Wilfred was also awarded the Victory, British War and 14/15 Star medals.

It is very sad that Wilfred enlisted at the beginning of the war and suffered gas attacks and heavy fighting and nearly managed to make it to the end. A brave man among many brave men.