MATTHEWS, Reginald Vernald
| Service Number: | 6534 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 July 1916, Enlisted in Melbourne for 21st Reinforcements of 5th Australian Infantry Battalion |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Williamstown, Victoria, Australia , 1894 |
| Home Town: | Williamstown (Vic), Hobsons Bay, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Colac, Victoria, Australia , 19 October 1970, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Colac General Cemetery, Victoria CLC GEN 36 807 plot 15 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6534, 5th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted in Melbourne for 21st Reinforcements of 5th Australian Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 6534, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Nestor embarkation_ship_number: A71 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 6534, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Nestor, Melbourne | |
| 27 Aug 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6534, 5th Infantry Battalion, Embarked in England for return to Australia due to being medically unfit for further service (kidney stones) | |
| 29 Nov 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 6534, 5th Infantry Battalion, Discharged medically unfit in 3rd Military District (Melbourne) due to kidney stones |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Karan CAMPBELL-DAVIS
Reginald Vernon MATTHEWS was born in 1894 in Williamstown, Victoria, one of six children born to William and Susan (née ELLIOTT) MATTHEWS.
From the age of 11, Reginald found himself before the local Magistrates on more than one occasion, and was subsequently made a ward of the State in the care of the Department for Neglected Children, due to repeated delinquency on the streets of Williamstown. In 1908, a court order was made for his father William to contribute financially to Reginald's upbringing, with his mother Susan stating that "he will not stay in the house". It appears that Reginald remained a Ward of the State well into his teens.
On 17th July 1916, Reginald enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, in Melbourne. Employed as a labourer at the time, he was aged 22, with grey eyes and dark brown hair, and had been living with his father William at 31 John Street North Williamstown, Victoria. Enlisted in the rank of Private with the regimental number 6534, he was assigned to the 21st Reinforcements of the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion, and completed his recruit training at the Broadmeadows Camp, Victoria.
On 2nd October 1916, Reginald embarked for overseas service with his Unit aboard HMAT "Nestor", in Melbourne. He arrived in Plymouth, England on 16th November. The 5th Infantry Battalion were soon involved in fighting in France. On February 1917, Reginald was admitted to the Shorncliffe Military Hospital in Kent, England, and was diagnosed with kidney stones. He was embarked for return to Australia on 27th August 1917, and subsequently discharged medically unfit in the 3rd Military District, Melbourne on 29th November 1917.
Reginald married Melda Isobel SPICER in Victoria in 1921. He passed away in Colac, Victoria on 19th October 1970, aged 76, and is buried in the Colac General Cemetery.
* BDM Victoria records all show Reginald's middle name as being Vernon, not "Vernald", as is recorded on his WW1 Service Record.
Compiled by Karan CAMPBELL-DAVIS from historical records kept by the National Archives of Australia, Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria and newspaper articles on Trove.
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