Owen Matthews

Name

Owen Matthews
1885

Conflict

First World War

Date of Death / Age

13/11/1916
31

Rank, Service Number & Service Details

Private
5881
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
4 Coy.

Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards

Not Yet Researched

Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country

THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 12 C.
France

Headstone Inscription

Not Researched

UK & Other Memorials

4 Co' Hertfordshire Reg' Territorials’ Memorial, Hitchin, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (Book), Hitchin, Kimpton Village Memorial, St Peter & St Paul Church, Kimpton, Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford

Pre War

Owen was born in 1885 in Kimpton, his mother was Fanny Matthews (née South). We think that her first 2 children were illegitimate, but that Owen’s father was Thomas William Matthews, who she married 1883. It seems Thomas died before the 1891 census and probably after 1886 as he fathered Frederick circa 1886.

So by 1891 Fanny Matthews was 33, a widow, head of household, working as a straw plaiter and were living at Kimpton Green, Kimpton. Also present were children: Percy (13, possibly South), Edith (10, possibly South), Frank (8), Owen (9) and Frederick (4).

In 1899 Fanny married a Joseph Coleman. It seems likely that he was the Joseph Coleman, a carpenter, living in Kimpton Green, nearby to widow Fanny in the 1891 census. At that time he was living with his wife Ellen and four daughters, so if that is the case we have yet to establish what happened to his wife and family. 

So in 1901 Fanny (43) was married to Joseph Coleman (55) and was Mrs Coleman. He was a carpenter and she a laundress. The rest of the household were stepdaughter Edith South (20), stepson Owen Matthews, who was 16 and a labourer on farm and stepson Fred Matthews (14).

By 1911, now recorded at The Green, Kimpton, Welwyn – probably the same location. Joseph and Fanny were present with stepson Owen Matthews – still an agricultural labourer, and stepson Frederick Matthews. The census recorded they had been married for 10 years with 5 children, of whom 1 had died, but with so many children previous recorded for Fanny and Joseph, it is difficult to know who these number refer to.

Before he enlisted, Owen had worked for Messrs. Chalkely.

Owen married Emma Elizabeth Clark (b 11/4/1892) in the March 1916, at the Lady Chapel, St Albans Abbey.

Officially Owen was recorded as living in Kimpton, Herts, when he enlisted in Hertford.

Wartime Service

He served with 4 Company of the Regiment and was allocated Regimental number 5881. That number means that he enlisted after 1 of November 1915. He was killed in action. 

The 1st Herts were part of the 118th Brigade of the 39th Division in II Corps of the 5th Army at the time of his death. This was the Battle of the Ancre, an attempt by General Sir Hubert Gough to reduce the Beaumont Hamel Salient that had hitherto resisted all assaults. The Herts were on the right of the Brigade and assembled at the Schwaben Redoubt just north of Thiepval. Their first objectives were some enemy strongpoints about 200 yards in front of the Redoubt, the so-called Hansa Line of trenches and the final objective the junction of Mill Trench and the Hansa Line - a total advance of about 1,200 yards. Zero hour was 5.45am in thick mist. heavy going with the ground honeycombed with shell holes. 

He was in 4 Company which led the advance on the right of the Battalion and by 7.30am most of their objectives had been achieved. The rest of the day was spent consolidating the position, constructing a redoubt at the junction of Mill Trench and the Hansa Line and beating off counter attacks. A splendid achievement, but at a cost of over 150 men killed and wounded. 

There were several sources that supplied news of his death, two other Kimpton lads, who were with him said that he had been killed instantly while they were attacking a German position. These two men are almost certainly the men referred to in the transcribed press cuttings below.

He has no known grave and is remembered on Pier/Face 12C of the great Thiepval Memorial to the Missing on the Somme in France. 

Stories from press cuttings in Scrapbook compiled by Alf Bigg:

Unofficial news that Private O. Matthews has died: Unofficial news was received from Private Harold Spalding on Monday, in a letter to his wife, that Private Owen Matthews, Hertfordshire Regiment had been killed. The letter states that Private Spalding had seen Private George Gatward, a chum of Private Matthews as the men were returning from the fighting, and he informed him that they had been through a stiff fight and that Private Owen Matthews had been killed. It is hoped the news may yet prove incorrect.

Confirmation that Private O. Matthews is dead: Confirmation of the death of Private Owen Matthews, Hertfordshire Regiment, reported last week, from two other Kimpton lads who were with him at the time. They say he was killed instantly while the Regiment was attacking a German position.. Official Private Owen Matthes killed in action: Official intimation has now been received from the War Office, that Private Owen Matthews, Hertfordshire Regiment.

Additional Information

After his death £2 7s 9d was authorised to go to his widow, Emma Elizabeth Matthews, on 23 March 1917. Later, a war gratuity of £3 was authorised to be paid to her on 29 October 1919.


His pension cards record his widow, as his dependant, living at The Green, Kimpton, nr Welwyn, Herts. She was awarded a pension of 13s 9d a week from 4 June 1917.


In November 1916 the newspaper reporting Owen’s death mentioned that his brother Frank had been severely wounded in the face.

Acknowledgments

Adrian Dunne, Adrian Pitts, David C Baines, Jonty Wild