Royal Engineers
Mervyn Matthews was born on 15 June 1893 to Colonel John Matthews and Helena Matthews of Glenure House, Cirencester Road, Charlton Kings.
He was schooled at Albert Villas’ School from which he gained a scholarship to Clifton College and then proceeded to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He gained the Rainey Anderson Prize for the highest marks in French and German. He was a good cricketer, football and rackets player.
He received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in January 1913 and in August 1914 he was Assistant Adjutant, Royal Engineers at Chatham.
He proceeded to France, where he was employed for some time in building hospitals, and later in preparing the camp for the Indian troops. He was also employed on Staff work in the neighbourhood of Paris and Boulogne, and was most favourably reported on by his various commanding officers as a young officer of great promise.
Lieutenant Matthews, whose promotion to that rank was not gazetted until after his death, was shot in the chest whilst on wiring operations on 6 January 1915.
He was immediately taken out of the lines and sent to Bethune Hospital but was shelled out of that by the enemy and moved to England, via Boulogne. He collapsed on the way from Dover to London and died shortly after reaching Guy’s Hospital on 28 January 1915.
Lieutenant Mervyn Matthews was 21 years of age. He is buried in Charlton Kings Cemetery and is also remembered on his parents’ grave.