VE Day: Sgt Fred Matthews and Sgt John Gray

Both of my Grandfathers served in the Second World War. My maternal Grandfather ("Taid" in Welsh) Fred Matthews was a sergeant in the RAF See his discharge papers above. He had also managed to live through the carnage of Gallipoli and the Western Front in the First World War (during which he had been decorated with a Military Cross)

My paternal Grandfather (yet another John Gray) was also a sergeant but in the British Army for the whole of World War 2. He had been a Territorial soldier before the war and was one of the first to be called up. However, apart from knowing that he served in a Scottish anti-aircraft regiment,  I know nothing about his wartime service. Family folklore is that he may have been stationed in London during the Blitz and that he was part of a Unexploded Bomb (UXB) team.

I have finally downloaded the forms to apply to the Army records office for a copy of his service records.

I wonder how both of them celebrated VE day 75 years ago? Now sadly too late to ask them.

Thinking of both of them today and their comrades. 

1917 - A film review

Excellent film and glad I saw it yesterday evening in the Stratford East Picturehouse and not waited until on TV/Netflix. Pretty shocking and graphic (not eating any cheese tonight). Not glorifying war in the slightest.

Story line a little unbelievable but in war people did do incredible things against all odds. Some of the dialogue between the "tommies" was just a little Mary Poppins but that is probably me being a little over critical.

Nice to see recognition that Black and Asian soldiers also fought in this war.

My Mum's Dad, Fred Matthews fought in the trenches 1915-1918 and won a MC in 1917. Watching the film made me once again be grateful that my generation has never faced total war. 

Controversially, I wish this film had been made and shown on eve of Brexit vote in 2016. I am the first Gray/Matthews male in 100 years who Germans have not tried to kill (so far)

Walter Tull & 11 November 2018

A couple of weeks ago I went to Folkestone (via the high speed rail link in 46 minutes) for a Friday night beer and curry with an old mate. The following morning hangover cure was a brisk walk along the beach and back along the prom.

Near the town War Memorial on the prom there was an information board which featured a Newham connection (above). Walter Tull was born in Folkestone 1888 but he was also one of the first UK black professional footballers and was first spotted playing for Forest Gate based (Now London Borough Newham) Clapton FC.

After the outbreak of the First World War he joined the British Army in 1914 and was commissioned as an officer in 1917. Arguably the first ever Black commissioned officer despite apparently military regulations forbidding it. He was killed in action in Northern France 8 March 1918. His body was never recovered.

My Taid (Welsh for Grandfather) Captain Frederick Matthews MC RND, another working class volunteer, also fought in the Western Front during First World War. He survived.

The Folkestone War memorial is next to what is now called the "Road of Remembrance". During the First World War troops used to get off trains at a nearby depot then march down that road to the port below then take the military ferry to France. I suspect that Walter and my Taid had marched at different times up and down that same road several times during the War.

On 11 November 2018 it is the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Time to remember and reflect on everyone (regardless of class, race and nationality) who fought in this bloody, dreadful War. 

Ride to the Somme, Passchendaele & Arras 2017

The Battle of Passchendaele in the First World War took place from 31 July 1917 to 10 November 1917. There were an estimated 250,000 British causalities, killed or wounded during this battle.

The picture above on the left is of my maternal Grandfather (Taid in Welsh) Captain Frederick John Matthews MC who served in the First World War in the Royal Naval Division (a land based unit which fought in the trenches at Gallipoli, France and Belgium).

I believe he fought in this Battle and it may have been where he won his Military Cross.

After the war he served again in the Royal Welch Regiment as a Warrant officer which included fighting in Afghanistan in 1919.

My second Cousin Becky is also a warrant officer in the British Army. She also served recently in Afghanistan and has her Great Grandfather's Service medal and now her own.  Her husband John is also in the Army and is taking part in sponsored cycle ride on Wednesday from the UK to the Somme Battlefields to raise money for the  Armed Forces Charity SSAFA.

Please consider sponsoring John online here for a worthy cause that helps 50,000 people every year.

100th anniversary of my Grandfather arriving at Gallipoli

According to this history of the "Hawke Battalion" Royal Naval Divison (RDN) by Douglas Jerrold, my Grandfather ( Taid in Welsh) Sub-lieutenant, Frederick Matthews, first joined them on active service a 100 years ago yesterday on 18 July 1915.

The Battalion was "dug in" occupying trenches at the Gallipoli beach head only a short distance from Turkish Army positions.

It was the height of summer and apart from insanitary conditions and disease there was constant shelling, sniping, attacks and counter attacks. The Battalion stayed until the allied retreat in January 1916.

My "Taid" was an apprentice in a South Wales Steel works before he joined the RND. He served in the Battalion throughout the war and also fought in France and Belgium. He later became a Captain and was awarded the Military Cross in 1917.

I will try and post in chronological order upon the major events that he and the Battalion experienced in the course of the War. While Gallipoli must have been a terrible experience, some of the battles that the Hawke Battalion took part in later on were far worse and completely horrifying. 

The family picture above is of my Taid (sitting on the left with arms folded)  in the trenches with an unknown comrade which the family believe is probably Gallipoli in 1915.

Midshipman George L. Drewry VC RNR

Yesterday morning I attended a Commemorative Stone Ceremony at the Cenotaph in Central Park, East Ham, Newham, London.

It was to mark the unveiling of the first of 5 paving stones to be placed at the Cenotaph to remember the heroism of five Newham residents, who won our nations highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, during World War One.

Forest Gate born, George Drewry, won his Victoria Cross age 20 during the Gallipoli landings on 25 April 1915.

The ceremony was very much a naval affair led by Hon Vice Admiral The Lord Sterling of Plaistow, GVCO CBE RNR. There were other Royal Navy personal, Sea Cadets and a Royal Marine Bugler who played "The Last Post".

The Rifles, the British Legion, Police, Council, faith groups, local School children and residents were also there to honour Midshipman George Drewry.

In a nice touch they had a modern day Royal Navy Midshipman (this is the most junior Officer rank) give the account of the incredible heroism by George Drewry, who despite bring wounded, repeatedly risked his life under heavy enemy fire to enable troops from his ship to land at Gallipoli.

Check out the tale at Newham Story.

I hope to attend all the ceremonies commemorating Newham residents who won the Victoria Cross during First World War. 

The ceremony yesterday was special to me since (as already mentioned in this post) my Grandfather, Frederick Matthews MC, was also in the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and fought in Gallipoli.

The band played waltzing matilda

Today is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War Gallipoli campaign.  The 8 month conflict was one of the most vicious of that war.

This song was written by Eric Bogle in 1971 and was today described by a good friend of mine (and who has a doctorate in History) as "the most powerful anti-war song I have ever heard".

Gallipoli is very important to Australians  and New Zealanders but British and French troops also served there. My maternal Grandfather, Frederick Matthews, fought there with the Hawke Battalion, Royal Naval Division. He arrived after the landing in July 1915. I will post further in July about him and his Battalion's experiences in Gallipoli and then later in France. 

A day with G Company 7 Rifles on Salisbury Plain

On Saturday I spent the day with 7 other Newham Councillors as the guests of G Company 7th Rifles Regiment, while they were training on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.

G Company is our local British Army reservist unit in Newham, based at Cedar barracks in my ward next to West Ham park. This trip had been organised by the one and only, Terry Paul, Cllr for Stratford ward.

The idea was to give local Councillors some understanding of what our reservist soldiers in the modern army have to go through. Terry and I had both been members of the "Territorial Army" (TA) when we were younger, so we had some idea of what to expect. But in our day the TA role was to support NATO against a Soviet Union invasion of Germany. Not to serve on hostile active service operations such as in Iraq or Afghanistan, which modern day reservists are normally expected to carry out.

We arrived at the Drill Hall at 7.45 and we were somewhat to our surprise were issued with combat overalls, waterproofs, Bergen's (rucksacks), 24 hour pack of rations, mess tin, cooker and steel helmets. Everyone was very welcoming and pleased to see us. We then drove by a minibus to Salisbury Plain which is a massive military training area and got off at at some disused farm buildings.

During the trip down the soldiers accompanying us were very honest and frank about their experiences while on active service. By coincidence one was born in Canning Town, a street away from where Terry was brought up while the other was his possible distant cousin. At the farm buildings we had a series of briefings about our day and were advised to put on all our warmest and windproof clothing.

G Company had arrived on the previous Friday evening and had spent the night sleeping out in the open and were carrying out reconnaissance training exercises all Saturday until about 2am the following day.  They were then planning a dawn attack on an "enemy" position on the Sunday morning.

We discovered why we had metal helmets as we climbed into our army cross country heavy goods vehicle to be transported to our first site. I used to be a military HGV driver and in my day (an expression which makes me feel pretty old) there was only a bench either side of the rear of the HGV that we were expected to sit on as passengers. Nowadays you have to wear a metal helmet and sit in racks with an airplane style safety harness. Going across rough country you appreciate wearing a helmet and harness.

After about 15 minutes we stopped at a wood near a training ground, got out and walked to the company machine gun platoon exercise. The platoon were practising coordinating and firing 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG)

We then spoke to the machine gun teams about what they do and examined the GPMG and their SA 80 rifles. The machine guns, the tripods and belts of ammunition were so heavy you could not imagine carrying them as well as your other military kit.

Afterwards we went into a nearby wood which had been the sleeping area for the company the previous night and had a fantastic presentation by a rifleman on how to cook lunch from our "24 hour ration packs".  It was very cold in the wood and we all enjoyed the hot food even if it took us a little while and a bit of trial and error. Hot food is a brilliant pick-you-up that you only really appreciate if you are very cold.

We then went off to observe a section of the Rifle platoon carry out different patrolling exercises and formations. If a patrol was attacked they practiced firing back and maneuvering either to attack or move away. This is what infantry soldiering is all about. If you come under fire on a patrol you know what to do instinctively since you have practiced this time after time after time.

It was sobering to think that some of the more experienced soldiers present had actually done this in real life and had carried out these exercises while under fire from live bullets.

Finally, we drove back to the base in the HGV and then had a debrief with a cup of hot coffee then left to drive home to East London. All of us fell asleep on the way back. At Cedar barracks we dropped off our kit and changed back into our normal clothes.

I think that every single one of us Councillors really enjoyed the day and found it fascinating and different but also the friendliness and hospitality shown by everyone towards all of us was simply stunning. Thank you very much G Company 7 Rifles. You did us proud.

Afterwards some of us went to the Black Lion in Plaistow to give a toast to 7 Rifles and wish them well with the rest of the exercise.

I must admit that I was also thinking that day of my Grandfather, Frederick Matthews, who in 1915 did his basic military training in the Salisbury Plain and then went on to command a machine gun platoon in Gallipoli and later in the trenches in France. Did he practice such military skills in these very same fields and valleys 100 years ago?

4 August 2014 - 100th anniversary of the start of World War One

This morning at 11am I went to the Cenotaph at East Ham Central Park for a Newham Council ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War One.

A British Legion representative laid the first wreath followed by the Mayor and representatives of the former boroughs of East and West Ham.

One lovely spontaneous touch was as the wreaths were being laid, a passerby stopped and started singing a beautiful lament to the fallen "Sleep on Beloved, Sleep on and take your rest".

My Grandfather, Frederick John Matthews MC, Royal Naval Division, fought in the First World War. On 5 August 1914 he was still an apprentice "mechanical engineer and draughtsman" in a South Wales Steel works. He left to join up on 2 September 1914 and returned to work (briefly) in January 1919.

I hope in the coming years to follow in his footsteps a hundred year later, starting off next  year at Gallipoli in Turkey then the trench battles of France and Belgium.

hat tip picture Cllr Ayesha Chowdhury,

Remembrance Sunday & Armistice Day

Yesterday morning I went to the Remembrance Sunday Service at West Ham Parish Church of All Saints. This is in my Council ward  and at 1,000 years is one of the oldest buildings in Newham.

The Church is currently undergoing a major programme of restoration with scaffolding everywhere but it still retained its solemnity and dignity.

The Revd Stennett Kirby led the service and our local MP Lyn Brown gave a Bible reading. Following Reveille, the Kohima Epitaph was given by an elderly veteran whose slow, deliberate rasping voice made all of us think of those who gave their today for our tomorrow.

Wreaths were laid with respect by the dignitaries, British Legionaries, serving soldiers and cadets. The most touching was the last which was laid by a little girl of 3 or 4 who had to "persuaded" by her Mum and encouraged by others, to go up and lay her little wooden cross with a red poppy on it.  But what was lovely is once she had finally done this, she turned round and skipped her way back to her Mum across the Church.

The address was made by Rifleman Franklin Anolue, 7 Rifles, G Company, West Ham who was in his Army Battle dress.  Franklin had recently served in Helmond Province in Afghanistan with his regiment. He told us he had always wanted to be a soldier ever since he saw the film "Saving Private Ryan". He was a student studying engineering and a part time soldier with the Territorial Army. He hadn't told his Mum he was going to Afghanistan until he was there, since he knew she would try and stop him! He had gone to Remembrance services before he went on his tour of duty but it is only now that he can really understand why it is so important to remember all those who put themselves in harms way for their country.

Remembrance Sunday takes place on the 2nd Sunday of November every year. This morning I went to the out door Armistice Day Service at the Central Park Cenotaph in East Ham which takes place at the anniversary of the end of World War One, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th Month.  This was another very moving service. What was particularly important to me was the number of children from local primary and secondary schools who attended and participated in the service.

Also the emphasis on the "forgotten" Commonwealth and the absolutely vital role played in the First and Second World War by Africans, Asians and Caribbeans who defended our country and our freedoms.

The picture above is of my Taid (Welsh for Grandfather) in the trenches during the 1st World War.  He is sitting on the left and I think the picture was taken in Gallipoli where he served in Hawk Battalion, Royal Naval Division. This is a smashing photograph of my Taid. Dan Filson on FaceBook thought he looked like a 1950's teddy boy! Which I am not that sure about but having "attitude" may explain why he survived being on the front line in Gallipoli, Flanders and the Somme for 3 long years. He won the Military Cross in 1917.

Young Apprentice 1910

I'm not the greatest fan of the BBC series "Young Apprentice" but it has made me look again at this indenture document (left) signed on "The 7th February 1910" by my Grandfather (or Taid in Welsh, as I called him when I was a young boy) Frederick John Matthews, his father Frederick James Matthews and Uskside Engineering & Rivet Company Ltd, Urkside Iron Works, Newport, Mon (South Wales).

This was a legal document which cost 2 Shillings and six pence in stamp duty. Click to bring up details.

Taid was bound to the Steel works as an apprentice "mechanical engineer and draughtsman" for 4 years  at the age of 16.

He had to undertake to "faithfully serve, conduct and demean himself...an honest and faithful apprentice" He had 14 days holiday per year but his father had to pay the employers £200 for the life of the indenture (£50 every year - a fortune in those days). Offset by wages of 2/- per week for the first year rising to 6/- for the 4th.

If for whatever reason he got into trouble at work there should be an independent panel of "two respectable and competent persons" one chosen by Taid's father and the other by the Steel works. There would be a umpire if they could not agree on what to do.

This concept is of course unrecognisable in modern day employment relations.

The Indenture also has a hand written amendment that he left his apprentice on 2 September 1914 to join the Army. The First World War had started less than a month before. I have posted before on his service in Gallipio and France while with the Royal Naval Division. He won the Military Cross in 1917.  It records that he returned to Usk on demobilisation on 20 January 1919 and finally left on 8 July 1919.

I am still not sure whether he completed his apprentice or not. I suspect not. He was on active service for practically the entire War. His experiences marked him for life, not always for the good.

By coincidence his great grandson Matthew, has recently been selected to be a trainee ROV technician on North Sea Oil and Gas rigs. While his Dad (my brother in law) has not been asked to cough up the modern equivalent of £200, I doubt his employment protection will be in any way as good as that given to my Taid.