Hugh Alexander Fisher

To my family and friends who would like to know the story of Hugh Alexander Fisher. Brother to my father and the 5th child of my grandparents Arthur and Katherine Fisher.  In my lifetime I can hardly remember anyone talking about him. Grief wasn't talked about like it is today. Or maybe by the time I was born he was already gone for 12 years.

In 2018, Brian and I visited Normandy. By happenstance, we were there on Remembrance Day, and I was gobsmacked by how emotional I became. The average age of death during WW2 was 22, and there were literally thousands of graves. This experience sparked my curiosity about Uncle Hugh's story, but like many good intentions, it fell by the wayside.

When COVID struck, I found myself going through our pictures of France, and suddenly, I had a project! I accessed and printed off Uncle Hugh's war records, though much was missing. We committed to visiting Lyford, England, where the crash site was, and to visit his grave, as to my knowledge, no one had been there before. The trip morphed into an incredible journey.

Hugh Alexander Fisher died on April 8, 1945, five days short of his 25th birthday. One month later the war was over. A telegram was sent to Grandma and Grandpa Fisher informing them that he had died in a bomber plane crash after air operations near Wantage, England. Grandma Kate's words in her story, co-authored by Don Fisher, capture the anxiety of those times: "It is much easier to write these words than it was to go through those terrible times - waiting for letters, always in fear of someone knocking on the door to hand us a telegram. Then it came!"

As David Price notes in "The Crew," many servicemen of that generation left too faint a trace to provide sufficient material for commemoration. Most were single men with tragically short careers, leaving no enduring testimony or children to remember them.

Fortunately, the next generation of the Arthur and Katherine Fisher family benefited from the efforts of a widow and two kind gentlemen in England who investigated the crash of Lancaster Avro HK788. Thanks to them, I was able to trace Uncle Hugh's journey through WW2 and the tragedy that took his life. He died along with 6 others in a crew of 7 on Lancaster Avro HK788 of #9 Squadron out of RAF Bardney, England.

Bomber Command crews during WW2 suffered extremely high casualty rates: 55,573 killed out of 125,000 aircrew (a 44.4 percent death rate), with a further 8,403 wounded in action and 9,838 becoming prisoners of war.

In 2005, David Willey made inquiries about Uncle Hugh's next of kin through the Town of Dauphin. Betty (MacMillan) Watson, a widow of a crew member, planned to create a memorial for the crew. In 2008, a ceremony took place, and a memorial plaque was placed in a small Anglican Church in Lyford, England, about 300 yards from the crash site.

In July 2024, I wrote to David Willey, who had provided information to Mum in 2005. Although he was on holiday during our planned visit, he shared a trove of information through articles, pictures, and his accumulated knowledge.

Janice scoured Mum's old albums and found only one childhood picture of Uncle Hugh. The fire on the farm in 1940 destroyed everything.

We believe Uncle Hugh is on the far right.  

 

Uncle Hugh enlisted July ,1941, when he was 21 years old. He requested to join the Air Force as an Aero Engine Mechanic. At 5'9" and a whopping 164 lbs, he was working as a Tractor Operator for Riding Mountain National Park at the time.

Hugh A. Fisher # R116477

Initially, Hugh trained in St. Thomas, Ontario as an Aero Frame Mechanic before moving to Claresholm, AB to work on planes at the pilot training center. In June 1942, he was transferred to Toronto to complete Pre-Airmen training, where he earned great marks. He then started training as a member of an airmen crew, specifically as a bomb aimer.

According to his instructors' comments, Hugh could be inattentive and a bit incorrigible, but was described as a "happy cheerful type." His marks were erratic, but he ultimately graduated with decent scores.

This is a picture of Uncle Hugh at the Fisher Farm before he went overseas.  

Will Joyce who I will talk about more later sent me this picture with the following message:

That's the model car in Hugh's photo, a 1940 Chevrolet Coupe. Over my head, but a mate of mine has made those sort of cars & knew straight away.

This Uncle Bob and Uncle Hugh.  I'm unsure if this was taken in Canada or in England.  

Both of them were so handsome!! 

After sharing this picture of Uncle Bob with David Willey he believes it was taken before he went overseas as the lights weren't ornate enough for England and the cars weren't British either. 

In October 1943, Hugh traveled from Halifax to England. He trained for several more months as an bomb aimer before becoming part of a seven-man crew flying Avro Lancasters in #9 Squadron, based out of RAF Bardney, approximately 20 km east of Lincoln, England. The Lincolnshire area was home to 46 air bases due to its suitable terrain for runways.

A Lancaster crew consisted of a pilot, engineer, navigator, radio operator, rear gunner, mid gunner, and bomb aimer. Uncle Hugh was a bomb aimer, riding under the pilot. As David Price describes in "The Crew": "Protruding from the Avro Lancaster's nose, the curved Perspex glass bomb-aiming position is like a small greenhouse. The land beneath lies dark and formless with every house blacked out. The bomb aimer clutches his release button, eyes fixed on the bomb sight, watching for the green flares below to converge with his cross hairs. A small movement of his thumb will determine the release of the bombs. But for the operation to be a success he must keep his nerve, silence the inner voices telling him to drop early."

As the bomb aimer, Hugh would lie below the pilot and play a crucial role as the plane approached its target. He would guide the plane toward the target while looking out the front of the plane and then release the bomb(s).

This is a restored Avro Lancaster.  (It's HUGE)!

This is where Uncle Hugh would watch for the target and release the bomb.   He would also ride in the bubble above in order to watch for the enemy.

Uncle Hugh flew on his first operation in August 1944. There was an expectation that a crew would fly 30 operations to complete their tour of duty. Only one in four managed to survive 30 operations. Uncle Hugh's crew completed 21 and crashed on their 22nd operation.

The men flew in less than ideal conditions. The Lancaster has been described as a flying tube. They flew at 25,000 feet and at times in -30 to -40 degree temperatures with no heat. Frostbite was a common occurrence. They wore many layers of confining clothing, and the thought of going to the bathroom was horrifying. There was a metal chemical toilet that froze, and if they dared use it, their butt stuck to the toilet. The plane ran on 4 Rolls Royce engines that were so noisy all communication within the plane was almost impossible without an intercom system which connected to their helmets.

Although radar was becoming more sophisticated, the men's eyes were the primary source of spotting enemy planes and risks from the ground. The Lancaster was heavy and not very nimble, therefore best suited to bomb at night. Its biggest asset was that it could carry heavy loads. Flight records show that most of Hugh's flights left late in the day and would be over their target as darkness fell.

When the Lancaster was about to take off, each crew member tensed a little as the fully laden bomber picked up speed down the runway. They would never feel relaxed until the wheels had come up and the engines settled into the long climb away. No amount of training ever prepared them for what they would face. In the close confines of the Lancaster, each man was directly connected to the aircraft by his oxygen mask.

It took astonishing courage to endure the conditions. Flying at night over occupied Europe, running the gauntlet of German night fighters, anti-aircraft fire and mid-air collisions, the nerves of these young men were stretched to breaking point. The men knew they had a 50% chance of survival when they went on a mission. They would fly right into enemy fire, knowing they would most likely be shot down, but determined to drop their load. The men lived in a heightened state of anxiety/terror on the day of a scheduled operation.

The accommodations at Bardney were hardly luxurious. The huts they lived in were damp and cold from autumn through winter. They slept heavily after long strenuous operations or alternatively slept off a night on the town under coarse woollen blankets. They often awoke to find neighboring beds vacant, tidily made up, lockers emptied ready for replacement airmen. Nothing was said, but they knew that the previous occupants of these beds were missing and not expected to return. There were no expressions of grief or gestures of remembrance.

Of all Uncle Hugh's operations, the most famous was the bombing of the Tirpitz. The Tirpitz was the sister ship to "The Mighty Bismarck," Germany's mightiest battleship. The Tirpitz was stationed in Norway and hiding in a fjord. On November 12, 1944, 31 Avro Lancasters from #617 and #9 Squadrons took off from Scotland on an epic flight to attack the Tirpitz, codenamed "Operation Catechism." The Lancasters were specially modified, carrying extra fuel and a massive 12,000-lb 'Tallboy' bomb each. The operation was successful, and the Tirpitz was finally sunk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuKyYn0B0d  

The bombing of the Tirpitz garnered significant attention, and as a result, a Canadian newspaper covered the story. Uncle Hugh, as part of the crew involved in this famous operation, became something of a local celebrity. The newspaper published pictures of him, bringing the war effort closer to home for many Canadians and highlighting the contributions of their countrymen overseas.

          Uncle Hugh sitting on a as 12,000 lb Tallboy bomb as used in bombing the Triptiz.

Three weeks after the bombing of the Tirpitz, Uncle Hugh stood up for the wedding of Campbell MacMillan, who was the wireless officer on their crew. He and Uncle Hugh had become friends, and Hugh often stayed with Campbell at his family home. Campbell's wife, Betty, would become a key figure in the remainder of this story.

Uncle Hugh on the right as best man. 

Uncle Hugh flew thirteen more operations after the Tirpitz operation. In the early hours of April 8, 1945, after failing to drop their bomb(s) over Moblis, Germany his plane crashed less than 300 yards from the tiny village of Lyford, England while trying to return to home base. Many of the locals heard the plane even though it was in the middle of the night, as it was in distress. Several witnesses said they could see it was on fire.  The crash was so powerful that windows shattered in the church and there was damage to some of the homes in the village.  A tire from the plane was found in a farmyard ½ mile away.  

Grandma and Grandpa Fisher were notified by telegram of Uncle Hugh's death. Meanwhile, Campbell and Betty had been living at her parents' home. David Willey relates Betty's account of those tragic days: "When Campbell was killed, Betty said Campbell didn't return home, which was unusual. He regularly used to climb up the drain pipe into their bedroom as to not wake the family. After three days, Betty's father took her to RAF Bardney where they told her the sad news."

The official report on the crash of HK788 states: "Unable to ascertain cause of accident. Aircraft seen on fire and then crashed out of control. Bombs exploded on impact. Radio may have been unserviceable - no distress signals. May have been hit by flak over target causing petrol leak."

Dave Willey, who has thoroughly researched the HK788 crash and is helping to restore an Avro Lancaster, provided his summation of what may have occurred:   "They had taken off from Bardney at 18:35 to fly to an area near Leipzig. They arrived at the target and didn't drop their bombs, the reason why I don't know. They were returning to Bardney via a set route. The last waypoint was Reading where they would turn and head for Bardney. This is where things went wrong and they sadly crashed at Lyford at about 1:30am. My own theory is they had been flying 7 hours. Suggestions were of an electrical problem and a fuel leak. The journey was apparently 1400 miles return. I think they were getting very near to their fuel limit. A Lancaster fuel capacity is 2154 gallons using 1 air mile per gallon. They might have run out of fuel. Also, there were no radio messages received. It was a long flight with a failing Lancaster." 

A funeral was held for the entire crew and they were buried in the Botley Cemetery in  Oxford, England.  I found out through David Willey that Uncle Bob attended the funeral.  “Am I correct Hugh’s brother was serving in the uk at the time of Hugh’s death. I may be wrong but I remember Betty telling me he collected his Motorcycle from RAF Bardney and was at the Funeral. Near Oxford.  Imagine Uncle Bob (who was a pilot) all by himself attending the funeral and then having to return to flying in the same risky skies.   Years after the war, Betty, who had remarried, put the wheels in motion to have a memorial service and a plaque made to commemorate the seven men who died in the crash of Lancaster Avro HK788. This initiative came after her second husband had passed away. She asked David Willey to research the families of the men.

The memorial was commemorated in the Lyford Church in 2008. Many people attended, and a local farmer provided refreshments, showcasing the community's ongoing respect and care for these fallen airmen. The program included a poem read by Richard Briers a local actor, adding a touching and personal element to the ceremony.     

https://allpoetry.com/-Lie-in-the-dark-and-listen

In September 2024, Brian and I traveled to England, with our first stop in the town of Wantage. There, we met Will Joyce, a local who had become interested in the crash because one of the crew members, Gordon Symonds, was from Wantage. Will shared with us, "The reason I started looking into the crash in the first place was the fact that Gordon Symonds lived up the same road as me in Wantage. I lived at 13, he lived at 36. I'm too young to have known Gordon, but as a child I can just recall his mother and father."

Will told us a poignant story about Gordon's father, who reportedly saw HK 788 fly over where he was working that night at the Wantage flour mill and heard the explosion when they crashed. As a teenager, Will would go to the crash site and collect bits of the wreckage that surfaced. For years, he tried to make inquiries into the crash but couldn't find any information until he came upon an article that had been posted about the HK 788 crash.  

We met Will at a local pub on our first night in England and shared a beer with him as he recounted the history of the crash site. Originally a huge hole in the field, the farmer had used it as a dugout. Eventually, it was filled in with soil, but every year when it is cultivated, pieces of the wreckage continue to rise to the surface. Will has donated some of his findings to a museum. 

Arial photo of the crash site in 1946. 

The next day, Will met us at the Lyford Church, and we walked to the field. Although it was too muddy to reach the actual crash site, Will gave me a small piece of the wreckage and a button he'd found. I realized I had a 1 in 7 chance that the button belonged to Uncle Hugh. We then explored the church, which was absolutely incredible, having been established in the 1300s.

Will Joyce and I standing by the field while the arrow approximates the crash site. 

As we explored the church, Will talked about the 2008 memorial service. He mentioned that friends and family members of the crew, RAF personnel, an actor who read a poem, and many members of the village attended. A local farmer provided refreshments for everyone. Will stated there was hardly a dry eye. 

It was evident that the HK 788 crash still reverberates through the community, even after all these years. This visit brought home the enduring impact of these young men's sacrifice and the way it has become woven into the local history and memory.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L0e0uvk2KZc

 https://aircrewremembered.com/jeffs-alfred.html

Later that morning, we visited Uncle Hugh's grave to leave flowers. The realization that he had waited almost 80 years for a family member to visit was overwhelming, I became a little unglued thinking about that.  

Uncle Hugh's grave.  I could only think of Grandma Kate's grief. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MNcgnSfByU

Our journey continued to Newark, where we visited an aviation museum. A significant portion of an Avro Lancaster was preserved there, having once been used as a chicken coop on someone's farm. Remarkably, Uncle Hugh's crew had flown in this very aircraft. On Remembrance Day, the museum places 1,000 poppies in it, dubbing it the "Weeping Lancaster."

 

These poppies are from memorials all over the region and they're brought to this Lancaster. 

At the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln, the enormity of the loss of life hit hard again. Among the 55,000 names of fallen Air Bombers inscribed there, I attached a poppy next to Uncle Hugh's name. The interactive displays allowed us to experience life at an airfield, inside a Lancaster, and in the barracks. The centre's monument is as high as a Lancaster's wingspan. The area also features seven metal cutouts of men facing Lincoln Cathedral – whose spires were often the last sight for departing pilots.

The 7 crew men ready for flight. 

This memorial tower is equal to the width of a Lancaster. 

QK2Wx7SPDo8

We then visited RAF Bardney Airfield, now a poultry farm with chicken coops lining the old runways. The lookout tower still stands, proudly flying the Canadian flag. Standing there, I could almost hear the roar of the planes in my head. 

This is an arial picture of Bardney airfield in WW2.  

So delighted the Canadian Flag flies behind the original lookout tower. 

The next day, at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Museum, I actually did hear a Lancaster. Thanks to David Willey's arrangements, we were given a tour by Andrew Panton the General Manager of the museum. Their restored Lancaster, able to taxi the runway, was massive, incredibly loud, and impressive.

This is a replica of the Tallboy Bomb that Uncle Hugh is sitting on in a previous picture. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx591xfzHYQ

Each Rolls Royce Engine fires up one by one!  So loud!  

Our final stop was the Bomber Command Memorial in London's Green Park. 7 huge statues of the aircrew stand tall.   This monument, erected 67 years after the war was much delayed due to controversy surrounding the bombing campaign.   It was incredibly moving.  

The Bomb Aimer is depicted in the statue circled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSH9cHwApnE

Throughout the trip, I felt Uncle Hugh's presence guiding us through his experiences. The button from the crash site, given to me by Will Joyce, became a tangible connection to Uncle Hugh's story. A serendipitous wrong turn in a museum led me to a display of Air Crewman's jacket buttons, further reinforcing this connection.

I'm immensely grateful to David Willey for his generous sharing of knowledge, pictures, and information.  And to Will Joyce for his dedication to honoring these airmen. Will's quiet validation of my emotions and willingness to answer all questions was much appreciated.

Lastly, I'm thankful to Brian for his unwavering support throughout this journey through England, navigating unfamiliar roads while he drove a manual car for five days shifting with his arthritic left hand. 

This trip has filled my head with details and my heart with gratitude and sadness, bringing Uncle Hugh's story to life in a deeply personal way.  I have so much more information so please don't hesitate to contact me.  

How lucky we all are! 

Love Kathy 

There is a point on a lake in Northern Manitoba which is named for his sacrifice.  

Addendum #1:     Grandma received 7 medals on Uncle Hugh's behalf in 1950. Currently we continue to press the Dauphin Museum to find his medals.  They were donated in 2001.  I have applied for the Arctic Cross medal on behalf of Uncle Hugh.  It will be coming in the next month or so.

Addendum #2:   William John Ward was Grandma Kate’s brother.  He was a Member of Parliament from the Dauphin area.  Of interest was that he introduced the “Remembrance Day Act” to commemorate Canada’s war dead.  

Addendum #3: