LEST WE FORGET 127 FISHER, Alfred John WWI Alfred was born on November 13, 1882, in Peel, Wellington, Ontario, to William and Mary (Gordon) Fisher. He was enrolled as a law student in Vancouver when he enlisted on May 6, 1916 in Vancouver. He left Halifax aboard the Cameronia on September 11, 1916 with the 62nd Battery/15th Overseas Brigade. He landed in France on August 26, 1917 and served in France for nine months and was promoted to Asst Sergeant. He was commissioned to the RAF on May 10, 1918 in Witley, England and was discharged on October 25, 1918. Alfred had married Christina Fisher by January 7, 1919. Alfred and Christina and daughter, Colleen, farmed at Red Jacket, Saskatchewan. Alfred later was municipal secretary in Eston, Saskatchewan before retiring to Victoria. He died at Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver, BC on April 12, 1962 (age 79) and was buried at Garden Chapel, Ocean View, Burnaby, BC. FISHER, Christina Ross “Tena” WWI Christina was born on March 2, 1885, in Hillburn near Rocanville, to Joseph and May (McPherson) Fisher, who had emigrated from Scotland and came west from Ontario in 1881 to the Hillburn District. The family of seven grew up in a large stone house their father had built. Tena was the oldest child. She stayed with the family in Wapella and took some of her schooling there. She became a registered nurse and enlisted on April 22, 1916 in Moosomin to serve as a Nursing Sister with the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Approximately 2500 nursing sisters served overseas with the CMAC and they earned $4.10 per day. Tena was posted to No. 8 Canadian Stationary Hospital. Nursing Sisters wore blue dresses and white veils and were known as “bluebirds”. She trained as an anaesthetist and served at various hospitals before going to France on July 10, 1917 where she served five months. Her left thumb was injured during a surgery and she developed septic inflammation resulting in hospitalization from December to January 1917. When her brother, Robert, was killed in action, Christina was posted at No. 3 Canadian Casualty in France close to the front lines where ambulances could deliver the wounded to be assessed, treated, or evacuated to hospital. Nurses were essential in the complex triage created by the British forces to treat sick and wounded soldiers. Christina was married in England to Alfred John Fisher who had served overseas in the Air Force. She returned to Canada on March 24, 1919. Christina and her husband farmed near Red Jacket, Saskatchewan and their daughter Colleen married Dr. Stewart Holmes of Elrose, Saskatchewan. Christina nursed for a time at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Vegreville, Alberta and she and Alfred lived in Eston, Saskatchewan before retiring to Victoria. She died on November 24, 1978, at the age of 93, and is buried at Royal Oaks Burial Park in Victoria, BC.
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