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Frank Fisher

Standing, left to right: Flying officer Johnny Johnson, Warrant Officer Jim Lamont, Flight Lieut. Tony Fisher, Flying Officer Bruce Murray. Kneeling: Warrant Officer Joe BaraBnoff, Sgt. Eric Finn
Missing from the picture Peter Dale, Co-Pilot.

Last year, for the new millenium, Major Benoit Durand from the Canadian Forces presented the project to the Canadian Forces to build a memorial site on Black mountain, in memory of the 24 military killed in the crash of a Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator bomber on October 20th, 1943. This project has been accepted, so the Canadian Forces, and some volonteers includind some people from the A.T.V. club of St-Donat had been working hard to carry through this project. Marco worked as a volonteer too.And thanks to the Mayor Yves Paquin and the town of St-Donat.

This air tragedy is still the worst one ever happened in Canada.

Two weeks before the crash, Flt, Lt. Frank Fisher and his crewwere engaged in six running battles with Nazi U-boats. The crew was attached to the R.C.A.F.'s famed "North Atlantic" Squadron.

Here is the narrative of their latest battle, by F/O Bruce Murray, navigator :

" On September 15, our aircraft with two others were ordered to proceed to Goose Bay, Labrador, and be in readiness the following day to take off to sweep the estimated night track of the Convoy Quadrant Group. H.M.S. Renown was carrying Winston Churchill to Britain after the Quebec conference with F.D. Roosevelt.

(.../...) On the morning of September 19, our craft took off with another 10 squadron aircraft at 0617 G.M.T. to sweep the track of ONS-18. While en route to sweep area, shortly after day break, about 450 miles southwest of Iceland (Reyjavik), the co-pilot, F/O Dale sighted a U-boat, as we emerged from a cloud. It was only a mile and a half or two miles on our starboard, on a course of 330 T., and we were at 3000'. It was impossible to lose the necessary height for an attack, and we passed slightly starboard of the U-boat at 500'. The submarine had started firing at us from the moment of sighting.

We made a complete turn around the submarine and came in low astern of it and crossed it at 5.30 o'clock position at a height of 50 feet dropping six depth charges spaced at 25 feet at 250 m.p.h. On a final check of the controls and settings it was found that the bomb doors had crept shut enough to turn off the depth charge release system and the panel light. It was necessary to quicly use the door roll-up lever again allowing the release mechanism to function just prior to passing over the submarine. As we were turning to get in position for another run up, the U-boat sank and 12 seconds later we dropped our remaining depth charges just ahead of the point where the sub had disappeared. We remained in the area for another 25 minutes during which time we noted a large oil slick and a large bubble appearing 15 minutes after the attack. We were fortunate that the sea was rough which greatly hindered the U-boat gunners in their attempt to bring down our aircraft. The results could well have been reversed. We set course to start our sweep as head winds back to Gander were strong at that point. It was shortly after that, one of the crew noticed a hole at the edge of our starboard wing, evidently made by a 20 mm. explosive shell. We finished our sweep and set course for Gander, where we landed at 1843 G.M.T."

Fisher's attack indicated that U-boats were deployed further north than thought, so they could change their plans and on September 22, for two days, No 10 Squadron waged a spectacular battle with the German subs.

Two of Captain Fisher's heroic crew were awarded the DFC.: Peter Dale, co-pilot and Bruce Murray, navigator. Frank "Tony" Fisher couldn't have any award before the tragic liberator accident. He was accorded a posthumous mention in despatches.

On October 19th, 1943 after a rainy and foggy day, the B-24D Liberator took-off from Gander, Newfoundland to RCAF Mont-Joli, Quebec for a routine flight. Frank Fisher's crew except Bruce Murray were on board among 24 people. Frank Fisher came back to see his family: he just lost his brother, Pilot Officer Wm. J. Fisher, in flying operations in India.
Late that night, RCAF Mont-Joli advised the pilot to continue on to Montreal as the airport was closed due to the bad weather. It was the last contact with the aircraft. It has been reported later that an Anson aircraft flying round Grand-mère, Quebec would received an SOS call.
Despite very many searches, the Liberator hasn't been found until June 20, 1946: another aircraft was reported missing, this time between Rockcliffe and Roberval, Quebec. The liberator had crashed on Black mountain, the highest mountain around St-Donat.
A ceremony were organised there on July 4th, 1946, it took four-hour of a very difficult climb to the site.

Since September 2000, this site itself is more accessible, with stairs, some trees have been cut down, so people are able to go there more easily and meditate at these 24 people.

Special Thanks to Bernice, Frank Fisher's sister
for giving us documents and photos: Marco and myself
wanted so much to create this web page for all these brave
and heroic young people that fighted for a world free can be in everybody's mind for ever.
florence vailhen, June 05th, 2001.

Réservation 1 888 745-0606