Simon A. Fraser MM

"D" Company, 49th Battalion (Edmonton Regiment)

In October 1916, the 49th Battalion (E.R.) attacked Regina Trench, but the assault ended in failure. Most devastated was “D” Company, which attacked virtually alone against heavy German defences. The survivors found shelter in shell holes near the enemy trench while many wounded lay scattered across No Man’s Land.

In broad daylight and under intense fire, Private Simon Alexander Fraser repeatedly went out to rescue the wounded. During one rescue, a German soldier fired at Fraser at close range. The bullet was stopped only by the arm of the wounded man draped around Fraser’s neck, narrowly saving his life.

Only 15 of the 109 officers and men of “D” Company who began the attack remained by its end. Fraser himself was later killed by shellfire during the attack on Passchendaele in 1917.