Stanley Lowe Wishart was born on 25 September 1893 in Lisburn, County Down, Ireland.  He was the youngest son of David Wishart, a carpenter from Carnbo in Kinross-shire and his wife, Margaret Flemming.

In 1901 when Stanley was seven, he was living in the small town of Milltown, north of Lisburn, and ten years later boarding with his older brother David in the outskirts of Belfast, where they both worked as damask weavers.

Stanley enlisted in Belfast on 11 September 1914 and joined the 6th (Service) Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers. After initially training in Ireland the battalion moved to Basingstoke in April 1915 and sailed for Gallipoli from Devonport on 14 July. Stanley’s unit arrived at Suvla Bay on 7 August and went into action on Chocolate Hill the same day. During the next month, the Fusiliers made several more assaults on enemy positions and suffered severe casualties. It is possible Stanley was wounded in action on 15/16 August while defending ‘The Pimple’ near Karakol Dagh. The battalion lost over 200 men, and Stanley was recorded in the list of casualties by the Irish Independent on 11 September 1915.

Stanley was sent back to the UK to recover from his injuries and taken on strength of the regiment’s reserve battalion at Buncrana on 10 October. Eight months later Stanley was posted overseas for a second time, sailing from Southampton on 23 June 1916. On arrival in France, he was sent onwards to Salonika where he eventually rejoined his old unit. In November 1916 the 6th Battalion was absorbed by the 5th and renamed the 5/6th. As the majority of Stanley’s service papers have not survived the rest of his war is unclear; however, it is recorded that he returned to Egypt in August 1917 and possibly among those drafted for service in Palestine. In May 1918 the 5/6th returned to Europe and Stanley probably saw out the rest of the war in France.

After the war in 1920, Stanley married Elizabeth Mulholland in the Shankhill district of Belfast on 27 April.  It is not known if the couple had any children, but lived at 24 Lismore Street in Belfast, where Elizabeth died in October 1936.

Stanley died 35 years later on 9 January 1971 and is buried with his wife in Dundonald Cemetery, East Belfast.

Are you related to, or think you have further details about Stanley?

If so then I’d love to hear from you. Please click the link below or send an email to mail (at) wishart1418.org. Thank you.