Leonard Henry Alonzo Fisher

A Private with 1/2nd Bn., Leonard died on 6th of July 1916 at the age of 27. 

Leonard was born at Lowestoft on 5 February 1889, a son of Randall Colby Fisher and Susannah Colby Fisher. He was baptised at Saint John's Church, Lowestoft, on 3 May 1889 and his family lived at 3 Mill Lane, Pakefield. Between 25 April 1892 and 31 May 1895 Leonard was a pupil at Cunningham Infant School, Pakefield. He then attended Christchurch School before, from 3 February 1896, becoming a pupil at Saint John's School. At that time his family lived at 2 Lake Lothing Terrace. Later his mother lived at 6 Compass Street, Lowestoft.

The 1901 Census shows Leonard as a pauper living at The Union Workhouse, Oulton, and his mother was also a resident. By 1911 Leonard was lodging at 12 White Horse Street, Lowestoft, and he worked as a dock labourer. 

Leonard volunteered to join the Army and he enlisted in the London Regiment at Westminster. He was posted to the 1/2nd Battalion and arrived in France on 25 August 1915.

Leonard died of wounds at No 6 General Hospital, Etretat, France. It is highly likely that he was wounded during the attack at Gommecourt on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, or in the following two days. It is noted in the Battalion War Diary that after the attack on 1 July many wounded men were left 'on the wire' and were brought in the next day. For an hour on 2 July both sides stopped fighting in order to bring in their wounded and around 45 men of the Battalion, that had been wounded on the 1st, were brought in. The Battalion lost four officers and 39 men killed; six officers and 160 men wounded; with two officers and 42 men missing. The War Diary adds that two of the wounded men had subsequently died.    

Leonard's brother Randall died in 1941. His nephew Russell died in 1939 in the loss of the trawler Sulby.