Duncan Wishart was born shortly before midnight on 30 March 1894 in Newfauld near Airdrie. He was the second of five children of Thomas Wishart, a ploughman from Mollinsburn, and his wife Mary McColl. By 1901 the family had moved to Rawyards North Lodge, New Monkland and then to Collieton Farm in Clarkston ten years later. After leaving school Duncan found work as a pitheadman in a local colliery and following the outbreak of war he enlisted in Airdrie, probably during the autumn of 1914. He joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and eventually made his way to France on 10 November 1915 and taken on strength of the 1st Battalion, who had recently seen action at the Battle of Loos.

By the start of Summer 1916, Duncan was based near Bethuné and left for the Somme at the start of July where he would have gone into action at High Wood on the 16th and then again on the 20th when he was likely among the 160 men who were wounded in action. His name appeared on the casualty lists published on 18 August and it is possible that he returned to the UK for treatment.

Unfortunately, Duncan’s service papers have not survived, so when he eventually returned to France is unknown, however, it is very likely he was present at the Battle of the Selle at the end of October 1918 and wounded for the second time. The Dundee Evening Telegraph of 29 October 1918 carries an article mentioning Duncan’s arrival at the new hospital at the Dundee Training College, and it appears that this put a full-stop on his military career and he was demobilised on 10 March 1919.

After the war, Duncan became a road surface foreman and he married Jessie Phillips in Edinburgh on 29 September 1926. No children appear to have been born of the marriage and Duncan lived until the age of 67. He died from lung cancer at the Roadmeetings Hospital in Carluke on 19 March 1962 and had been living with Jessie at 158 Cairnhill Road in Airdrie at the time of his death.

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