Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Family Group:

Pair: Sergeant W. H. Matthews, D.C.M., Royal Fusiliers, who was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallantry during the Gallipoli operations, and was killed in action during the Third Battle of Krithia on 5 June 1915
Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (8300 Pte. W. Matthews, 2nd. Rl: Fus:) number re-engraved; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (8300 Pte. W. Matthews. Rl: Fusiliers.) initial re-engraved on KSA, edge bruising and contact marks, nearly very fine

Volunteer Force Long Service Medal, V.R. (Pvt. Matthews. 2nd. V.B. Middx. 1897) engraved naming; together with a National Fire Brigades Union Long Servce Medal, silver, with three ‘Five Years’ and one ‘Twenty Years’ clasps, the reverse contemporarily engraved ‘W. Matthews. Fireman’, the edge officially numbered ‘504’, edge bruising and contact marks, nearly very fine (4) £400-£500

D.C.M. London Gazette 6 September 1915:
‘For conspicuous gallantry and ability from the 25th April to 25th July 1915, during the operations on the Gallipoli Peninsula. During the whole of this period Sergeant Matthews has displayed consistent coolness and courage, frequently under very heavy shell, machine-gun and rifle fire, and has led his platoon with great ability. His fine example and devotion to duty have always afforded the greatest encouragement to all under him’.

M.I.D. London Gazette 5 August 1915.

William Henry Matthews was born in Heston, Middlesex, in 1882 and enlisted for the Royal Fusiliers at Cape Town. He served in South Africa during the Boer War, subsequently serving as a Sergeant in the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, and he entered the Balkan theatre of war on 25 April 1915, the day the beaches at Gallipoli were stormed. A Fusilier Brigade consisting of the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, Royal Munster Fusiliers and Royal Dublin Fusiliers were the first to land on the Peninsula and were to cover the disembarkation of the rest of the 29th Division. The 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers were allotted ‘X’ Beach and were put ashore by lighters from H.M.S. Implacable - the event often referred to as the ‘Implacable Landing’. For his actions on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Sergeant Matthews was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the D.C.M. He was killed in action there on 5 June 1915 during the Third Battle of Krithia. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.

William Matthews, a Fireman with the Heston and Isleworth Brigade, Middlesex, was awarded the National Fire Brigades Union Silver Medal numbered 504 for twenty year’s service in 1910.

Sold with copied medal roll extracts, that for the KSA named to ‘8300 H Matthews’ (hence the correction); and other research.

Note: The recipient’s D.C.M. and Great War campaign medals were sold in these rooms in December 2007.