Charles McNicoll Wishart was the eldest of seven children of Charles Wishart, a mason from Forfar, and his wife, Catherine MacMillan. Born in the Kelvin district of Glasgow on 16 August 1900, Charles lived with his family at 26 Doncaster Street before temporarily moving to Rothesay.

On 24 August 1907, Charles emigrated to the United States with his mother and sister Christine on board the SS Caledonia, which sailed from Glasgow to New York. His father had left for America the year before and eventually settled in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania where the rest of the family joined him.

When old enough Charles went to work in a local steel mill, and by 1918, he was living in New Brighton and skilled as a pipe fitter. On 1 September Charles crossed the border into Ontario at Niagara Falls and made his way to Toronto where he applied to join the Royal Air Force on 18 October. He was assigned to the 42nd Training Wing, who were based east of the city at Deseronto, but discharged after 96 days in consequence of being surplus to requirement.

Charles returned to Pennsylvania where he went to work as a machinist at a driller works. At some point during the next few years, he met the daughter of a German butcher from Buffalo named Elizabeth Weiss and married her about 1926. The newlyweds set up home in Elizabeth’s hometown and lived there until her untimely death in 1947. In Buffalo, after a period working in a steel mill, Charles set himself up as a roofer and was naturalised as a US Citizen in 1941, however, after his wife’s death he decided to return to the United Kingdom.

In 1952 he re-married in Southampton to Beatrice Bertha Alice Warn, and five children were subsequently born between 1954 and 1961. Eight years later Charles died aged 68 on 8 July 1969.

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

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.