Frederick Fisher (3 August 1894 – 23 April 1915), was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. A soldier with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War, he was posthumously awarded the VC for his actions on 22 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres. His VC was the first to be earned by a Canadian while serving in the CEF. Early life Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, on 3 August 1894, Fredrick Fisher was one of four children of a bank manager and his wife. He attended schools in Niagara, Dunneville and Montreal, as his father moved for work. In 1912, he enrolled at McGill University in Montreal to study engineering. While at McGill he joined Zeta Psi Fraternity. He did well academically but was also a keen athlete; he was a member of the university's track team. First World War On the outbreak of the First World War, Fisher enlisted in the 5th Regiment of the Royal Highlanders. He sailed for England aboard Alaunia with other contingents of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), arriving there on 15 October 1914. By this time, he had been posted to the regiment's 13th Battalion. For the next few months, the battalion underwent training on the Salisbury Plains, during which time Fisher was promoted to lance corporal. In March 1915, the battalion departed for the Western Front. As part of 3rd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division, Fisher's battalion was stationed near St. Julien in the Ypres Salient, with the French 45th Division, made up of Moroccan troops on its left. To open the Second Battle of Ypres, on the evening of 22 April 1915, near St Julien, Belgium, the Germans released poison gas, the first instance of chemical warfare. Caught by surprise, the Moroccans to the left of the Canadians retreated. After a short pause to wait for the gas to clear, the Germans launched an attack into the gap, while the British and Canadians desperately tried to establish a new defence line. A Canadian artillery battery of 18 pounders was firing on the German trenches when its commander became aware of German troops moving in the open towards his position and requested infantry support. Soldiers of the 14th and 15th Battalions were sent forward