In the late 1880s, Alfred Wishart, a cabinetmaker from Aberdeen, emigrated with his wife to South Africa and settled in Johannesburg. Four children were born of the marriage with the eldest born in 1889 and named after his father. Within ten years the family returned to Scotland, and Alfred Snr took up a position as an insurance agent in his hometown.

By 1911 the Wisharts had moved to 113 Osborne Place in Rubislaw – an area in the east of Aberdeen. Alfred Jnr had secured his first job as a student teacher and at the time war broke out in 1914 he was teaching at a school in Glasgow. It seems likely Alfred enlisted shortly afterwards, and joined the 17th Highland Light Infantry, which was one of the Glasgow Pals Battalions.

The 17th left for France in November 1915, however, by then Alfred had been transferred to the 19th Battalion and assigned the rank of company quartermaster sergeant. On Christmas Eve 1915 he married Marion Young by declaration in Glasgow with two children subsequently being born of the marriage in Montrose (1917) and Aberdeen (1918) respectively. At some point during the next two years, Alfred was transferred into the Royal Scots Fusiliers and then the 10th Labour Company, Labour Corps. Further details of his war service are not known.

In 1920 Alfred emigrated to Canada, arriving in Quebec on 20 May, with the rest of his family joining him later in the year. They initially settled in Summerland, British Columbia, where Alfred found work as a machinist, however, by the 1930s they had moved to Vancouver where Alfred returned to teaching.

Alfred died at the Lion’s Gate Hospital in North Vancouver on 24 October 1963 and buried in the Vancouver Masonic Cemetery. His wife Marion died in 1987.

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