FINDLAY, Matthew Scott
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 February 1916, Enlisted as a Second Lieutenant. |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 35th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Caldercruix, Scotland, 2 February 1895 |
| Home Town: | Wallsend, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Colliery Clerk |
| Died: | Illness, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, 16 May 1946, aged 51 years |
| Cemetery: |
Newcastle Memorial Park (fmly Beresfield Crematorium) Following his death at Newcastle Hospital, the Remains of the late Matthew Scott Findlay were privately cremated May 18th 1946. |
| Memorials: | West Wallsend Presbyterian Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted as a Second Lieutenant. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 May 1916: | Involvement Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 1 May 1916: | Embarked Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Sydney | |
| 1 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, After disembarking at Plymouth on 9 July 1916, Matthew Scott Findlay was promoted to Lieutenant in England on 1 August. | |
| 27 May 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 62nd Infantry Battalion, Transferred in England to the newly established 62 Battalion. | |
| 15 Sep 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, Transferred back to his original battalion. | |
| 3 Nov 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, Proceeded overseas to France | |
| 28 Aug 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, Suffered gunshot wound to the head including fractured skull. | |
| 29 Aug 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, Medically evacuated from 61st Casualty Clearing Station to the 8th General Hospital in Rouen, France. | |
| 13 Sep 1918: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 35th Infantry Battalion, Transferred from France to England and admitted to the Empire Hospital, Vincent Square in London, with gunshot wound to head including a fractured skull. | |
| 7 Feb 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Repatriated to Australia on the Hospital Ship "Lancashire". Reached Melbourne Australia 24 March 1919 en-route to Sydney. | |
| 9 Aug 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, 35th Infantry Battalion, Appointment with the Australian Imperial Force was terminated on medical grounds. |
Help us honour Matthew Scott Findlay's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Matthew Rutkin
Matthew Scott Findlay was the son of James Burns Findlay and Margaret Scott of Caldercruix in Lanarkshire Scotland. At the age of 14 he sailed with his family to Australia, arriving in Sydney aboard the Orient Steam Liner "Orotava" on 17 April 1909.
Matthew's family settled in Wallsend near Newcastle New South Wales, and Matthew eventually started working as a Clerk in one of the nearby collieries.
During WW1, on the day before his 21st birthday, Matthew enlisted as a Second Lieutenant with the AIF, and three months later embarked for England on the troopship "Benalla".
Matthew was promoted to Lieutenant shortly after arrival in England. For a brief time he was transferred to the 62nd Battalion, but soon returned to his original battalion, which proceeded overseas to France.
On 28 August 1918 Lieutenant M S Findlay was wounded in action in France, suffering a gunshot wound to the head including a fractured skull. He was admitted to 61st Casualty Clearing Station, then transferred to 8th General Hospital at Rouen. After a few weeks he was transferred to England to the Empire Hospital for Officer in Vincent Square London.
On 7 February 1919 Lieutenant Findlay was returned to Australia as a invalid on the Hospital Transport Ship "Lancashire".
Lieutenant Findlay continued his repatriation and recovery in Sydney, including at the Scarborough House Red Cross Convalescent Home. It was while a patient there that Matthew met his future wife, a nursing sister Dorothy Margaret Steer, who had herself recently returned from serving in Egypt.
On 12 February 1923 Matthew Scott Findlay married Dorothy Margaret Steer at Fenwick House, Ballina in Northern New South Wales. At the time this was the location of the North Coast Grammar School for Boys, at which Dorothy's father Herbert Samuel Steer was Headmaster.
Matthew and Dorothy settled in Merewether, Newcastle, and raised three children.
Matthew Scott Findlay died at Newcastle Hospital on 16 May 1946, and was privately cremated.
Click images to start slideshow.