Edward Francis George Matthews

The photographs and information are shared by the Trust with kind permission from the 11th Armoured Division Facebook Group and its Black Bull Research Team, Edwin Matthews, son of Edward Matthews and David Matthews, grandson of Edward Matthews.

Remembering Edward Francis George Matthews (known as George), died of wounds, 09 July 1944.

My father was wounded in Caen, France. He was transported to Oxford Military Hospital for head wounds but never recovered. My mother received a telegram along with a train pass to visit. She was with him when he finally passed away. He died at the age of 28 years.

David gave us more information about his grandfather and the rest of the family. George was the eldest of six children who all served in the war. Ray served in the Life Guards, Ken served in the Grenadier Guards, Dennis was in the 2nd Battalion, South Staffs, Doug was in the Royal Navy on HMS Brissenden and their sister Peggy was in the WAAF.

My Grandad served in the 4th Battalion, Kings Shropshire Light Infantry and he was the only one in the family to die from war injuries.

He had suffered shrapnel wounds to his head on the 30th June and was transported from Caen to Oxfordshire by aeroplane where they had turned a college into a hospital to cater for wounded soldiers. He had an operation to remove the shrapnel from his head and was give a transfusion of 2 litres of blood but he didn't come out of the coma and died on the 9th July 1944. He left a widow and my dad who was 6 months old at the time.

Edward Matthews' grave in St John the Baptist Churchyard, Armitage with Handsacre, Staffordshire.

Courtesy of David Matthews

 

George's funeral was reported in the local newspaper and it tells us a bit more about his life. His family had lived in Armitage for many years and he worked in the biscuit ovens of Messrs Edward Johns and Co. He had also served in the Home Guard and was a member of the Armitage branch of the Royal British Legion before he joined up on 26th April, 1940.

Source: Staffordshire Advertiser, 22 July 1944

 

George is commemorated on two memorials in his local area. The first one is in his home town of Armitage and the other is down the road in Rugeley, Staffordshire.

L-R: Armitage war memorial; Rugeley war memorial, Staffordshire.

 

We also have his war medals.