John Walter Wisdom was born on 17 January 1902, the second of the six children of James Pattison Wisdom (1868-1947) and Isabella Emma Wisdom née Morrison (1870-1968). His birth was registered in the 1st quarter of 1902 in the Fulham Registration District, London. On 9 March 1902 he was baptised at St John's Church, Walham Green, London, where in the baptismal register his date of birth is confirmed, that his family lived at the Fire Station, Fulham Road, Fulham and that his father was a fireman.
By 1906 the family had moved to the Albert Embankment Fire Station, Lambeth, London.
He is shown as aged 9 years on the census return form that was completed by his father on 2 April 1911. He was living in three rooms at the Fire Station, Greycoat Place, Westminster, London, with his parents and his four siblings: James Ralph Wisdom (1900-1963); May Violet Wisdom (1903-1979); Reuben Wisdom (1906-1992 and Ethel Wisdom(1908-1992).
His fifth sibling, Iris Wisdom (1913-1933), was born on 31 March 1913.
His father, having previously having served for 12 years in the Royal Navy arranged for him to attend The Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, London and on 17 January 1920, his 18th birthday, he joined the Royal Navy, service number P/J72243, on a 12 year engagement, giving his 'occupation' as a Greenwich School Boy. He served on several ships before transferring to the Royal Fleet Reserve on 17 January 1932 and he was subsequently awarded the RFR Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
The 1927 and 1928 electoral registers show him on the absent votes list at 139 Braybrook Street, Shepherds Bush, London and those for 1932 and 1933 show him at 16 Hilary Road, Shepherds Bush.
In 1934 he married Lilian Primrose Harman (1912-1989) in Hammersmith, London and electoral registers from 1935 to 1938 show them living at 164 Askew Road, Shepherds Bush and in 1939 at 1 Eccleston Road, West Ealing, Middlesex (now Greater London). On 13 August 1934 he was appointed as a temporary porter in the London Postal Service, promoted to a porter on 11 December 1934 and eventually to a sorter on 22 January 1937.
On 31 July 1939 he was recalled to the Royal Navy and he died, aged 38 years, on 21 January 1940 when he was aboard HMS Exmouth, an E-class destroyer, escorting the merchantman Cyprian Prince, that was ferrying guns, vehicles and searchlights to Scapa Flow to bolster the defences of the Fleet’s main wartime base when the two vessels were sighted by the German submarine, U22, in the Moray Firth, some 20 miles off Wick, Scotland. The destroyer was torpedoed shortly before 5am and went down in under five minutes – it’s thought one of her magazines detonated in the aftermath of the initial hit. Although some men took to the water, none were rescued. With a U-boat nearby, the master of the Cyprian Prince deemed it too dangerous to pick up survivors (after hitting HMS Exmouth, U22 fired at, but missed, the merchantman) and it continued to the Orkneys. As a result not one of the 189 souls aboard the destroyer survived. She was the first Royal Navy warship to go down with all hands in WW2. Eighteen bodies were subsequently found washed ashore near Wick. As he has no known grave he is , of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Southsea Common, Clarence Esplanade, Portsmouth, PO5 3SB.
On 6 April 1940 his widow was awarded his £198-4s-2d Royal Mail gratuity for his five years, 5 months, service by the Post Office. Probate records confirm that his address remained as Eccleston Road, West Ealing and that when administration of his estate was granted to his widow, his effects totalled £290-0s-0d.
He is shown as 'WISDOM J.W.' on the Western Postal District war memorial in Mount Pleasant, London, WC1. He is also commemorated on the , on the , on the on the and on .
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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