9854
FISHER, Richard Minton Campbell
| Service Number: | 1086 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 October 1914, at Morphettville |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Liverpool, England, 1889 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Oil & Colour Expert |
| Died: | Natural causes, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 10 January 1942 |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Light Oval, Row 8S, Aspect C, Site Number 2 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1086, 10th Infantry Battalion, at Morphettville | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 1086, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 1086, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Richard Fisher was Involved in the Gallipoli landing and most of the campaign. | |
| 18 Jul 1917: | Honoured Military Medal, Bullecourt (Second) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Life Before the war.
Richard Fisher was a man of great honour. Like most men above 18, he registered himself as a soldier to represent and fight in service of his country. He was born in the United Kingdom but moved to Adelaide when he was just 18 years of age. He was 25 when he registered to be in the army, taking a risk on his life to serve his beloved country in a time of great crisis. Before the war, Richard was an expert in the area of oil and paint, working as an Oil and Colourman. This meant that he worked in the painting trade, working as a painter to construct buildings etc. Before registering in to fight in the war, Richard lived a relatively simple life, and was still single before departing for the war, having only his father, in England as his next of kin.
Richard Fisher had light brown hair, a fresh complexion and had grey eyes. He was 5’8 tall and was classified on his enlistment form, as a ‘Natural Born British Subject’, meaning he was a migrant born in Britain, but moved to Australia. He registered in Adelaide on the 12/10/1914 and was assigned to the 10th Infantry Battalion (C class). The 10th Infantry Battalion was a battalion of South Australia that served as part of the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force during World War I. Among the first units raised in Australia during the war, the battalion was recruited from South Australia in August 1914 and formed part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division.
During the War
In October of 1914, Richard Fisher departed from Adelaide, travelling to Egypt for military training. In Egypt, training was arduous and of high intensity, forcing the Australians to adapt to the change of lifestyle and climate. This training, however, did not prepare them for the battle they were about to face in Gallipoli. Gallipoli possessed harsher conditions and a rougher terrain than Egypt, resulting in an advantage for the Turks, who trained in the same environment. Richard Fisher was a part of the Gallipoli Landing on the 25th of April 1915, which became part of a turning point in Australia’s military history. Richard fought on Gallipoli until being taken sick in October, after which he was evacuated to Malta. He spent all of 1916 recovering and training in England, and returned to the 10th Battalion, this time in France, in February 1917.
At the battle of Bullecourt in early May 1917, Richard was working as a stretcher bearer. Here he performed the actions which won him a Military Medal. As his citation read:
Near BULLECOURT, FRANCE on the 6th., 7th., 8th., and 9th.May 1917 Private FISHER rendered exceptional service as a stretcher bearer. Despite the heaviest enemy artillery barrage and machine gun fire Private FISHER worked assiduously in rendering first aid to the wounded in the trenches and carrying from the front line to the Regimental Aid Post, a distance of about 1200 yards. Noticing a badly wounded man in No Mans Land Private FISHER without hesitation and regardless of danger personally went out and brought him back.
During 1917 Richard was repeatedly in trouble with military authorities, being found guilty of drunkenness and being absent without leave. on 31 August 1917 he was admitted to hospital with a septic right foot which meant he missed the battles in Flanders over the following several weeks. In February 1918 he was returned to Australia.
Life After the War
Finally, in 1918, he was found to be medically unfit and was discharged. This was possibly from his injury he obtained in France. As a result, he was medically inadequate to serve in the military. He took this opportunity to visit his parents in England, staying there for a few weeks before returning home to Adelaide. Upon returning to Adelaide, Richard Fisher’s whereabouts and activities were not officially recorded, with an exception of his death date. At 53 years old, Private Fisher died on the 10th of January 1942. Cemetery records give the full name Richard Minton Campbell Fisher.
Bibliography
AIF Project 2020, Australia, viewed 21 March 2020, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=98070>.
Australian War Memorial 2020, Australia, viewed 21 March 2020, .
National Archives of Australia 2020, Australia, viewed 21 March 2020, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=3909237&isAv=N>.
Australian War Memorial- Collections 2020, Australia, viewed 21 March 2020, <https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1067551/large/5372238.JPG>.
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