Matthew Wishart was born on the 28th of September 1865 in Penicuik, Midlothian, the eldest son of Matthew Wishart, a shoemaker from Kirkcaldy and his wife, Janet Davidson.

In 1871, when Matthew was six, his family lived on Penicuik’s West Street and ten years later at 9 Fieldsend, a row of tenements between the Loan Burn and Carnethy Avenue. 

Perhaps with Glencorse Barracks situated so closely nearby, a career in the military caught Matthew’s imagination at an early age...

In 1881, he joined the Edinburgh County Militia (latterly the 3rd Battalion Royal Scots) as a bugler.

Matthew formally enlisted with the regiment shortly after his twentieth birthday on the 15th of December 1885. At the time, he was described as being 5 feet 8 ½ inches in height, of fresh complexion with hazel eyes and auburn hair. The examining officer in charge also noted that he suffered from slight varicose veins, but not to a disqualifying extent. After passing his medical, Matthew was assigned the role of battalion drummer and based at Glencorse.

On the 29th of April 1887, Matthew married Isabella Halley Graham of 9, Dundonald Terrace in Edinburgh - and a son named Matthew was born at Hamilton Place in Penicuik the following March. However, the infant boy tragically died after three days of an unknown condition.

On the 25th of November, Matthew was transferred from the 3rd to the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots and appointed the rank of lance corporal  five days later - he was subsequently promoted to full corporal on the 19th of February 1890.

Matthew's battalion embarked for Malta onboard the HMS Malabar on the 10th of December 1890. Isabella travelled with Matthew, and two months after arriving in Malta, a second son named William Graham was born in Valetta. After two years stationed in Malta, the battalion received orders to proceed to India, where they were posted to Belgaum in the Bombay Presidency. Matthew’s family travelled with him and together, they left the island on the 7th of March 1892.

During his time in India, Matthew eventually rose to the rank of sergeant and a daughter named Isabella Janet was born there on the 11th of December 1895. On the 24th of March 1897, Matthew was permitted to re-engage to complete 21 years of service with the colours - eventually returning to the UK on the 29th of March 1898.

He was transferred to the 1st Royal Scots on arrival back in Scotland and spent over a year garrisoned at Glencorse. 

The second Boer War began on the 11th of October 1899 after Britain rejected the Transvaal ultimatum and Matthew’s unit was swiftly mobilised for overseas service.

They sailed for South Africa on the 6th of November 1899 and spent over three years away from home.

Matthew was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Belfast for his part in the conflict.

While he was fighting in South Africa, Matthew’s family lived at 2 Dalgety Road in Edinburgh, and after his return in late March 1903, they followed him south to Inkerman Barracks in Woking. Matthew was appointed sergeant drummer on the 26th of  August 1903 and subsequently posted back to the 3rd Battalion on the 6th of August 1905.

Three years later, on the 13th of December 1908, Matthew was discharged from service at Glencorse having served twenty-three years in the military.

The Wisharts returned to Edinburgh and made their home at Waverley Park in the Abbeyhill area of the city. Matthew found work as a messenger (army personnel) in connection with an antiquarian museum - suggesting continuing links with his old regiment. 

By the summer of 1914, the family were living at 4, York Buildings in Queen Street, and following the outbreak of war in August, Matthew must have been keen to get involved and ‘do his bit’.

Consequently, on the 13th of September, he re-enlisted in Edinburgh and joined the 1/5th Battalion (Queen’s Edinburgh Rifles) Royal Scots, a Territorial unit raised at Forrest Hill during August.

At almost 49, Matthew was four years beyond the age previous servicemen would be considered for the army, however, his impressive military career and the probability that he still had a few connections within his old regiment meant he was immediately embodied for active service and, in addition to being given the position of bugle major, he was reappointed the rank of sergeant.

The battalion was initially posted to Scottish Coastal defences but received orders in March 1915 to proceed south to Leamington with over a thousand cheering men steaming out of Edinburgh by train on the 11th.

Ten days later, the 5th Royal Scots, who now formed part of the 88th Brigade in the 29th Division, left Avonmouth aboard a refitted liner and sailed for the Mediterranean. The final destination was unknown to most of its passengers, but maybe Matthew caught a glimpse of Malta again as it came into view over the horizon. 

He arrived at Alexandria in Egypt on the 2nd of April before sailing to Mudros Bay, where his unit prepared for the impending landing on the Gallipoli peninsula. During this time, perhaps unknown to him, Matthew’s son William was killed in action near Ypres.

The Royal Scots landed on ‘W’ Beach at dawn on the 25th of  April, which was described as a ‘narrow patch of sand between a diminutive bay and cliffs and strong entrenchments’ that was ‘well watched’ by the enemy.

General Sir Ian Hamilton later wrote of the first few days after the initial landings:

“The indescribable noise we could hear, indescribable flame and confusion we could see, indescribable carnage we could infer, but we could not piece together or interpret the awful confusion of detail.” On Wednesday, 28 April, Matthew saw action in the first Allied advance at Gallipoli during the attack on Krithia. The village was immediately behind the Turkish line, with the following objective being Achi Baba, a prominent (and heavily defended) 200-metre hill feature some 2km beyond. A regimental history published in 1921 wrote of the attack: “At eight o’clock on the morning of Wednesday, a vigorous forward movement was made against Krithia, despite the fact that the troops had enjoyed no proper rest since the landing. The progress amounted to nearly three miles, but about 11.30 a.m. the 88th Brigade was held up by the stubbornness of the opposition, and a dearth of ammunition. The hope of winning Achi Baba had to be abandoned for the time, Krithia was not taken, and counter-attacks by the Turks robbed the Allies of some of their gains. The Fifth suffered heavily throughout the day....”

The assault failed, and any survivors returned to their trenches by evening.

Among the many thousands who became casualties that day was Matthew, who was subsequently reported killed in action. His body was eventually buried in Redoubt Cemetery, Helles, with his personal effects consisting of an identity disc, one pair of shoes, one shirt, one flask and sheet music, returned to Isabella, who was also a grieving mother.

Matthew was the oldest Wishart who died in the Great War, but not the most senior who served.