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Pte. Frank Harold Matthews
British Army 1st Btn. Rifle Brigade
from:London
My Grandfather, Frank Matthews, never spoke of his experience in the Great War. The only time he mentioned something was at his 50th wedding anniversary when a chance discussion uncovered that a party guest was related to one of his trench mates who died in his arms.
Granddad enlisted in 1910 at Woolwich Barracks. He was in the 2nd Battalion and after training went to India. He returned to the UK with the Battalion and on 7th November 1914 arrived in France.
My story gets vague from here. His medal roll shows he was with the 2nd Battalion for only a short time, and then with the 1st Battalion for the rest of the war. We all know he was injured 4 times, once he took a bullet and three times hit by shrapnel. We assume he was badly injured early on while with 2nd Battalion and was returned to the UK. When fit again he was sent back to France to reinforce 1st Battalion as in June 1015 the Times newspaper lists him in casualties with the 1st Battalion. All he would ever say is "I was at the Somme"
