FISHER, John Henry
| Service Number: | 253 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Corowa, New South Wales, Australia, 15 August 1894 |
| Home Town: | Wahgunyah, Indigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Mechanic |
| Died: | Moonee Ponds Victoria, Australia , 8 August 1944, aged 49 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Oct 1914: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 253, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Karroo embarkation_ship_number: A10 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 253, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Karroo, Melbourne | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 253, 9th Light Horse Regiment |
John Henry Fisher
John Henry Fisher enlisted on 19 October 1914 in the 9th Light Horse Regiment, B Squadron, Australian Imperial Force, with the rank of Private, Number 253, and was listed as Returned to Australia on 26 July 1919.
Submitted 3 October 2014 by Craig Smith
Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College
John Henry Fisher was born in Corowa, New South Wales Australia on the 15th of August 1893. His father, John Henry Fisher Sr., resided in Illira, Wahgunyah, Victoria at the time of the war and was listed as his next of kin. His mother was Emma Fisher, and he had six younger siblings. Fisher was 21 years old when he enlisted and was unmarried. He was a mechanic before enlisting. His listed his religion as Congregationalism.
Corporal Fisher enlisted in Morphettville, South Australia on October 19th, 1914. On his enlistment forms he was described as having a ‘fresh’ complexion, with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a weight of 184 pounds and a chest measurement of 43 inches. He was originally assigned the rank Private but was promoted to Extra Regimental Corporal while in Cairo at the beginning of 1919.
He was transferred to the 9th Light Horse Regiment and trained in Melbourne in the months following his enlistment. On February 11th, 1915, he departed from Australia and reached Egypt after several weeks, staying at bases in Heliopolis and Port Said. He joined the effort at Gallipoli in May 1915, a few weeks after the campaign had been launched. In May 1915, Fisher was punished with hard labour (No. Field 2 punishmentfor disobeying orders. In late August Fisher became unwell with influenza and was treated at Heliopolis and Mudros. Although he recovered, he did not return to Gallipoli before the evacuation. He remained serving in the Middle East. In November 1916, he lost two days’ pay for trying to leave camp without permission while on active service.
In May 1917 Fisher was hospitalised with an illness and then was assigned to a convalescent depot to recover. He was transferred to Provost Corps 1st August 1917.
He became unwell with malaria in October 1918 and needed treatment in hospital. He was discharged from hospital and returned to the Provost Corps but within days returned to hospital still suffering the effects of malaria. He recovered and soons after returning to his unit was in trouble again for breaking out of camp and was punished. In February 1919 he was promoted to Extra Regimental Corporal
In a medical report from the time of his disembarkment, it is noted that he had been previously ill with pyrexia and had suffered damage to his spleen and middle finger. As he was otherwise unmarked, Fisher was declared fit to return home in 1919.
Corporal Fisher’s brother-in-law Alfred Mealand wrote to the Red Cross Bureau in early 1916 asking whether any information was available about Fisher’s health or whereabouts, as the last they had heard of him he was in hospital in Heliopolis. After sending an enquiry to Egypt, the Red Cross Bureau received confirmation that all was well with Fisher, which they forwarded to his family.
Later, Fisher’s father sent a letter asking for travel passes after receiving word that his son had disembarked and was due to arrive in Melbourne. The officer responded with instructions for how Mr. Fisher Sr. could claim a travel fare refund and enclosed tickets in the letter. Corporal Fisher departed via the Burma in July 1919. He arrived back in Melbourne 27th August 1919 and was discharged 27 January 1920.
Corporal Fisher died at 6 Davies Street, Moonee Ponds, Melbourne on August 8, 1944.
Bibliography
Australian Imperial Force 2025, Details, Adfa.edu.au, viewed 5 September 2025, <https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=98017>.
Australian War Memorial 2016, 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment, Awm.gov.au.
― 2025, Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History, Vwma.org.au, viewed 5 September 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/projects/196095/edit?t=1755429020483#>.
― 2016, Advanced Search | The Australian War Memorial, Awm.gov.au.
State Library 2025, John Henry Fisher | South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau, Sa.gov.au, viewed 19 September 2025, <https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/soldier/john-henry-fisher>.
Terrace, V 2025, Digital Item Page Gallery, Naa.gov.au, viewed 5 September 2025, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=3909207&S=19&N=47&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=3909207&T=P&S=6>.
Trove 2025, JOHN HENRY FISHER - The Corowa Free Press (NSW : 1875 - 1954) - 11 Aug 1944, Trove, viewed 19 September 2025, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/236536435>.