David Wishart was born at 38 Bedford Street in the parish of St. Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh on 18 June 1891. He was the fifth of eight children of Alexander Philips Wishart, a bell hanger from Kettle, Fife, and his wife, Mary Jane Munro. Ten years later the family had moved to 30 Patriothall however, the following year, on 4 August 1902, David’s father died of tuberculosis.

On 1 June 1907, Mary Jane left Scotland on board the SS Pretorian for Canada with David and his older brothers James and Joseph. The ship arrived in Montreal ten-days later and the family made their way to Burford, Ontario where they lived before moving to Oxford. When David left for Canada he had been working as a coach trimmer and so it was natural he would move into the burgeoning automotive industry which was centred around Detroit in the United States. Consequently, David appears to have found work south of the border but made frequent trips back to Ontario to visit his family.

David enlisted in London, Ontario on 19 July 1916 and gave his mother’s address: 681 Canterbury Street in Woodstock, as his place of abode. In a medical examination, he was recorded as being 5′ 7 1/2″ in height with a dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. David was passed fit for overseas service and joined the Canadian Engineers with who he immediately began training. Three months later David’s war came to an abrupt end when he was diagnosed as suffering from valvular heart disease on 18 October. The condition is recorded as being unknown at the time David signed up but pre-dated this by an undetermined length of time, and he was eventually discharged medically unfit at St. Johns, Quebec on 31 December.

Little else is know about David’s life other than that he is possibly the David Wishart working as an orderly in a hospital who died in Vancouver, British Columbia on 9 August 1949.

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

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.