On the Tower Hill Memorial, London is the name of Able Seaman Alexander Wiseman who served on the Motor Vessel Kars, with the Merchant Navy who died 22/02/1942.

Alexander Wiseman the second youngest boy, was born at 3 Garthspool, Lerwick on the 2nd May 1907 to father Alexander Wiseman Snr, born Gardenstown, Gamrie, Ban Scotland, 26th July 1867, died 19th January 1933 and his wife Charlotte Noble nee McPherson, Wiseman, born 20th August 1871, died 10th February 1926, residing at 3 Garthspool Dock, Lerwick, Shetland Islands. They had 9 children and were married on the 21st September 1882.

The other children were: –

• Charlotte Noble Wiseman, born 5th November 1894, died 16th June 1978. She married Francis Wiseman, born 1889 at Gardenstone.
• James Wiseman, born 1896. Married Barbara Buchan, born 1900, Peterhead.
• Jessie Wiseman, born 1898. Married Andrew Buchan.
• Elizabeth Wiseman, born 13th January 1901. Emigrated to Canada onboard the SS Letitia, ship number 148847, embarked from Glasgow, and arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, with two children William Edwards born 1924 and Catherine Edwards, on the 17th December 1927 meeting her husband John Edwards, who was residing at 1242 Keefer Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
• Mary Ann West Wiseman, born 9th September 1903, died 29th April 1987. Married James Wiseman. born Lerwick 1900.
• Christine Noble Wiseman, born 29th August 1905, died 27th July 1965 at Gilbert Bain Hospital Lerwick, Shetland Islands. She married John McKay born 1905.
• Thomasina Wiseman, born 8th June 1910 at 3 Garthspool, Lerwick, Shetland Islands, died 22nd November 1990. She married George Leask BEM., born Lerwick 1908.
• Annabella Wiseman, 15th June 1915. On the 5th January 1934 she married  Archibald Campbell 1908, they moved to South Shields and emigrated to Canada. They had 4 boys, Archibald J, ‘Archie’,  Kenneth, Ian and  Malcolm. Annabella and Kenneth, Ian and Malcolm emigrated to Vancouver Canada , Archie stayed in South Shields. In 1939, Annabella was residing at 73 Robinson Street, South Shields with Archibald J Campbell born 22nd October 1934.

In 1881, the father Alexander Wiseman Snr, was residing at Seatown, Gamrie, Banffshire and by 1901, he was residing at Klondyke Cottages at Lerwick.

Alexander Wiseman junior was a fisherman by trade.

Alexander Jnr, joined the Royal Navy Reserve on the 22nd March 1926, he was 5 feet six and a half inches, Dark hair and dark brown eyes, Fair complexion. Has a tattoo on his right hand of crossed swords. His number was AX/13311. His residence address was 3 Garthspools Docks at Lerwick or the Empire War Memorial Hotel in Commercial Road, Limehouse, London. [now converted to apartments].

He was sent to Chatham on the 15th April to undertake 42 days training, and to HMS ‘Shamrock’ a land-based training ship based at Chatham, from the 19th May to the 26th May 1926. He was confirmed as an Able Seaman on the 27th May 1926. His character was described as Ability, Sat[isfactory] and conduct VG [Very Good]. He was admitted to Chatham Hospital 31st May 1926.

Alexander also completed Anti-gas Training. Now an Ordinary Seaman. From the 10th June 1926 to the 5th October 1926 Alexander was unemployed, but from the 6th October, based at Ayr he was inshore fishing. 27th December to the 29th June 1927.

From the 25th July 1927 till the 28th December, Alexander was  onboard the Merhilhill? as an ordinary seaman. Alexander now has a CR 1 card, which stated that his eyes were dark grey and black hair. This card was issued at Granton on the 28th December 1927 for Alexander’s first foreign Voyage.

31st December, he was onboard the the Grangemouth, ship number 124259, appointed an Able Seaman. He returned on the 7th January 1928. 16th April 1928, Alexander was back at Chatham for training for a period of 28 days, and onboard the HMS Marshal Soult, a Marshal Ney class Moniter. His character was described as Ability, Sat[isfactory] and conduct VG [Very Good].

From the 19th July 1928, he is onboard the Dosjoy?, his engagement finished on the 28th August 1928 and was then with the vessel Horseley, ship number 124259, from the 12th September to the 20th September. 24th September, there is a CR2 issued from Burntisland, now a stoker with the Carlbeath, ship number 147934, till the 31st October 1928. 30th November, Alexander is a stoker onboard the Pakeha, (formerly the Empire Pakeha), ship number 131759. This engagement ends on the 5th May 1929. He was assigned from the 25th May 1929, onboard the Corinthic, ship number 147155, based at Victoria Docks in London. And reverted back to an Able Seaman when the voyage ended at Newcastle upon Tyne in August 1929.

On the 22nd July 1929, Alexander is now on the Lilburn, ship number 147583, finishing at South Shields on the 20th September 1929. 12th October 1929, He was onboard the Amberton, ship number 149474 sailing to Algiers. Returned on the 2nd November 1929, still an Able Seaman. 19th December 1929, he was onboard the Ilford, ship number 114765, sailing to Rio. Returns on the 11th April 1930.

6th October 1930, he was onboard the Raranga, ship number 135699, sailing to Australia. He returned on the 26th February 1931.

On the 20th August 1930 Alexander was posted for 28 days training at HMS Victory XI and HMS Vivid at Devenport, both of these are land based training establishments.

He was paid £20.00 per quarter whilst in the Royal Naval Reserve, and his enlistment time of 4 years came to an end and was discharged on the 31st March 1931. He also was medically rejected for curvature of the spine.

From about May 1929, Alexander Wiseman jnr was retained by the South Shields office. Previously, it was Liverpool, Newcastle, Lerwick Leith Ayr and London. On the 13th April 1931, Alexander was examined at Whitehall Recruiting Station, SW 1, between 10 am and 4pm. He was staying at the Empire Memorial Hotel at Limehouse London.

The examination stated that he was to be declared medically unfit, due to Spinal curvature, Dental deficiency, and s shortening of his right leg. [There was also a comment that the spinal defect should have been picked up when he originally enlisted].

On the 26th June 1933, Alexander Wiseman jnr was residing at 3 Garford Street, London E14.

Alexander was a crew member on over 30 ships between 1928 and up his death in 1942.

By 1939, Alexander Wiseman was residing at 73 Robinson Street, South Shields.

On the 24th June 1941, Alexander Wiseman was embarked at Liverpool, from the HMT Warwick Castle, ship number 162527, with distressed sailors, the ship had departed Bombay. It had been carrying survivors of ship’s crews who had their ships lost to them by enemy action including Alexander.

On the 22nd February 1942, Alexander was a crew member of the British Motor Tanker MV Kars, ship number 167207. There were 47 crew, when the Kars was unescorted was hit by one G7e torpedo from a German U-Boat, U-96, commanded by Fregattenkapitän Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock,* at 22.57 hours, about 25 miles south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The ship caught fire and broke in two three days later. The forepart sank and the afterpart was towed to Halifax, where it was beached on the 27th February and declared a total loss. The master Arther Falconer, 39 crew members and 5 gunners were lost. Two crew members were picked by HMCS Melville (J263), and taken to Halifax, but one of them died after being rescued.

The Kars was a motor tanker built at Glasgow by the Blythswood Shipbuilding company in March 1939. 8,888 tonnage. The owners were the Western Oil Shipping Co Ltd (Baltic Trading), of London. It was carrying 12,700 tons of aviation spirit and fuel oil. She was on her way from Trinidad, 13th Halifax then Belfast.

[* After a year in captivity, Lehmann-Willenbrock returned to Germany in May 1946 and worked with Karl-Friedrich Merten on the salvage of sunken ships in the river Rhine. In 1948 together with three friends he built the sailing ship Magellan. They sailed together to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they initiated a regatta.
Later he was skipper of several merchant ships. In March 1959 he showed great courage as skipper of the freighter Inga Bastian when he and his crew saved 57 survivors from the burning Brazilian ship Commandante Lyra. In 1969 he became captain of the German nuclear research ship Otto Hahn, a post which he held for more than ten years.
For his outstanding service after the war he was decorated with the Bundes-Verdienstkreuz am Bande (Federal German Merit Cross 2nd class) in 1974. He was chairman of the U-Bootskameradschaft Bremen (U-boat comrades association Bremen) for many years, whose headquarters bear his name to this day. Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock on the set with Jürgen Prochnow
who played the commander (“Der Alte”) in Das Boot.]

Sources: British Newspaper Archive; National Archives; U-Boat Net; Find my Past; Philip Leask

Alexander Wiseman is remembered at Westoe in W101.08, page 91, and in our Lists of Ship Crews.