Can you help us identify Christian?

With thanks to Geoff Tilley, In Search of Charles Albert Stokes DCM, for his contribution to the preparation of this story.

Christian Clyde Fisher was born in Wrabness, Essex, England in April 1887 to parents Edward Francis and Elizabeth (nee Porter) Fisher. He was the ninth of their twelve children:

He was baptised at the Wrabness, All Saints Church in June 1887, where his parents had been married in May 1868. Unfortunately, Christian’s mother died in 1894 when Christian was just seven. His father remarried in December 1896 to Susannah Parish.

As he was growing up, Christian attended the National School in Wrabness.

Given the rural nature of the area, he likely worked in farming, as noted by his father in his Honour Roll Circular and by about 1908 he was serving with the 5th Essex Battalion Territorial Infantry Force. He also was the best man at his oldest brother Edward’s wedding.

At 24 years old, he resigned from the Territorial Infantry Force and migrated to Perth, Western Australia in 1911. His movements after his arrival in Western Australian are not well known, but it is recorded that he moved to Wickepin near Narrogin, 200 km SE from Perth, and was working as a labourer with the West Australian Government Railways. Narrogin was a major hub for the railroad.

While now on ‘the other side of the world’, he still felt the call to serve and enlisted in the Australian Infantry Force in July 1915. While only 5’3” tall, he did fit within the new minimum height criteria which had been adopted in June 1915. He was assigned to the newly formed 32nd Battalion, D Company and was sent to the Blackboy Hill Camp for his military training.

The 32nd had been raised on the outskirts of Adelaide, South Australia as part of the 8th Brigade, with A and B Companies to be from South Australia and C and D Companies from Western Australia. Back home, his older brother Lewis enlisted with the Royal Artillery Garrison.

At the end of September 1915, the WA 32nd soldiers sailed from Fremantle to Adelaide to join the other half of the battalion and to continue their military training.

They embarked from Adelaide, South Australia on 18 November 1915 aboard HMAT Geelong A2 , headed for Egypt. They arrived in Suez on 14 December 1915 and moved to the El Ferdan camp just before Christmas. A month later they marched to Ismalia, then to the large camp at Tel El Kabir for February and most of March.

The next stops were at Duntrooon Plateau and Ferry Post until the end of May, training and guarding the Suez Canal. Their last posting in Egypt was a few weeks at Moascar. One soldier’s diary complained of being “sick up to the neck of heat and flies”, of the scarcity of water during their long marches through the sand and he described some of the food as “dog biscuits and bully beef”.

He did go on to mention good times as well, with swims, mail from home, visiting the local sights and the like.

Source AWM C2081789 Diary of Theodor Milton PFLAUM 1915-16, You can read Theodor’s Soldier Story here

During their time in Egypt the 32nd had the honour of being inspected by H.R.H. Prince of Wales. After spending six months in Egypt, the call to support the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front came in mid-June. They left from Alexandria on the ship Transylvania on 17 June 1916 arriving at Marseilles, France on 23 June 1916.

They then were put on trains for the two-day trip to Steenbecque, near the Belgian border. Their route took them to a station just out of Paris, within sight of the Eiffel Tower, then through Bologne and Calais, with a view of the Channel before marching to their camp at Morbecque, about 30 kilometres from Fleurbaix.

Theodor Pflaum (No. 327) wrote about the trip in his diary:

The 32nd moved to the front on 14 July and were into the trenches for the first time on 16 July, in preparation for an assault on the German trenches at Fromelles. Christian’s D Company’s Lieutenant Sam Mills’ letters home were optimistic for the coming battle:

On the 17th they were reconnoitring the trenches and cutting passages through the wires, preparing for an attack, but it was delayed due to the weather. The Australian 8th Brigade, which included the 32nd Battalion, were to cross about 100 metres of No-Man’s-Land and assault the German trenches on the left flank of the Allied attack.

Being on the extreme left flank made their job made even more difficult, as, not only did they have to protect themselves from the front, but they also had to block off the Germans on their left while advancing in order to prevent the Germans from coming around behind them. All were in position by 5.45 PM and the charge over the parapet began at 5:53 PM.

A and C Companies were the first and second waves to go, with Christian’s D and B Company in the third and fourth wave. The first waves did not immediately charge the German lines, they went out into No-Man’s-Land and laid down, waiting for the British bombardment to lift. At 6:00 PM, the German lines were rushed.

The Australians immediately suffered heavy casualties from the artillery and German rifle and machine gun fire but were successful in their initial assaults and by 6.30 PM were in control of the German’s 1st line system.

Unfortunately, with the success of their attack, ‘friendly’ artillery fire caused a large number of casualties. They were able to take out a German machine gun in their early advances, but they were being “seriously enfiladed” from their left flank. By 8:30 PM their left flank had come under heavy bombardment with high explosives and shrapnel.

Return bombardment support was provided and the 32nd was told that “the trenches were to be held at all costs”.

Source AWM4 23/49/12, 32nd Battalion War Diaries, July 1916, page 12

It was about at this time when Christian was killed by shrapnel from an artillery shell, as reported by Private S.M. Redmond (1351).

Private A. Mather (1316) also said that they had fallen into a German trap and that Christian had been severely wounded and had to be left.

Source: Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files – Christian Clyde FISHER, p 2

Fighting continued through the night. The Australians made a charge at the main German line, but they were low on grenades, there was machine gun fire from behind and from the machine gun emplacement at Delangre Farm and they were so far advanced that they were getting shelled by both sides.

At 4.00 AM the Germans began an attack from the Australian’s left flank. Given the Australian advances that had been made earlier, their rear trench had been left almost empty, which then enabled the Germans to be in a position to surround the soldiers of the 32nd.

At 5.30 AM the Germans attacked from both flanks in force and with bombing parties:

What was left of the 32nd had finally withdrawn by 7.30 AM on the 20th. The initial head count was devastating – 71 killed, 375 wounded and 219 missing, including Christian.

To get some perspective of the battle, when Charles Bean, Australia’s official war historian, attended the battlefield two and half years later, he observed a large amount of bones, torn uniforms and Australian kit still on the battlefield.

The final impact was that 225 soldiers of the 32nd Battalion were killed or died from wounds sustained at the battle and of this 166 were unidentified.

Christian was initially reported as missing. In late September, his sister Lydia wrote to find out more.

In early February 1917 Lydia was advised that a Private Jenkinson (3168) stated that he saw Christian in England at a Convalescent Camp Perham Downs Salisbury Plains, BUT he described him as “tall and thin, fair and cleanshaven and about 24 years old”.

The Red Cross did note that this news appeared to be unreliable as Christian would have been in contact with the family if he was back in England.

Source Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files – Christian Clyde FISHER, p 16

Lydia quickly replied:

Private Redmond’s sadder, but more accurate, report about Christian’s death was passed to Lydia in March. A court of inquiry was held “in the field” on 12th August 1917 that Private Christian Clyde Fisher of 32nd Battalion, D Company was pronounced as killed in action on 20 July 1916.

He was 29 years of age. He has no known grave. More than 100 years later he remains as missing. Christian was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War and Victory medals, as well as a Memorial Scroll and a Memorial Plaque.

Christian is commemorated at:

As of 2024, 41 of the 166 originally unidentified soldiers from the 32nd have been confirmed to be in the German mass grave at Pheasant Wood that was found in 2008. These soldiers have now been given a proper burial and recognition.

There are a further 70 soldiers from the grave who are as yet unidentified. One of them could be Christian. We are currently seeking MT-DNA particularly from the sisters of Elizabeth Porter or her mother Rachel Osborn(e).