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Claud Leonard Matthews (1877-1967)


'One of the greatest Battalion Commanders the DLI ever had'


Claud Leonard Matthews, the son of John Leonard and Edith Alma Matthews, was born in Barton Regis, near Bristol, Gloucestershire on 27 August 1877. He had a brother and a sister and after being educated at Eton College was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the 3rd/4th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment on 26 February 1896. He was promoted to lieutenant on 2 June 1897 and on 4 May 1898 he was transferred from the Militia to the 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry.

During the Boer War he served with the Mounted Infantry, where, amongst other actions, he was involved in the Relief of Ladysmith. He was promoted to lieutenant on 19 February 1900 and in 1901 was twice badly wounded, mentioned in despatches three times and was awarded the Queen’s South Africa Medal with six clasps. After the war he went to India, serving on the North-West Frontier with the 1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry, and on 22 January 1904 was further promoted to captain, being appointed adjutant on 10 April. On 7 April 1909, while still serving in India, he married Mabel Agnes Lincoln in Lucknow, Bengal.

In September 1915 he was promoted to major and in December he joined the Staff and was transferred to Mesopotamia, where in June 1916 he was appointed temporary lieutenant-colonel. He was put in command of the 1st/4th Battalion Hampshire Regiment until February 1917, when he was wounded, mentioned in despatches again and made brevet lieutenant-colonel. Before the end of the war he was again mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1919.

After the war he returned to the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry and later joined the Regiment in Cologne as part of the Army of the Rhine. From 1922 to 1926 he was in command of the Depot and in January 1927 was made substantive lieutenant-colonel and sent to Northern Ireland in command of the 1st Battalion. Soon afterwards the battalion was ordered to Egypt and remained there until 1930, when it returned to England.

On leaving Egypt the general officer commanding Egypt, Lieutenant-General Strickland, wrote that “He was a great leader and undoubtedly one of the greatest Battalion Commanders the Regiment had ever had”. In January 1931 Claud retired on half-pay but returned to full pay in August, when he was appointed brigade commander of the 165th (Liverpool) Infantry Brigade, Western Command until 27 August 1934, when he retired again. He was appointed colonel of the Regiment from April 1940 until August 1947, during which time he was appointed Honourary Doctor of Civil Law (Durham), and then moved with his wife to Cheshire, where he died on 14 September 1967.

Birth date: 27-Aug-1877

Death date: 14-Sep-1967

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: 14 Clarendon Road, Kensington, London (1881 census)
Henbury Lodge, Henbury, Gloucestershire (1891 census)
Horsley House, Wylam, Northumberland (1911 census)
The Cottage, Aldford, Cheshire (British Phone Books, 1933-1961 & England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1967)

Education: Eton College, Berkshire

Family: Father: john Leonard Matthews
Mother: Edith Alma Matthews (nee Ward)
Siblings: John Cecil Judd & Marjorie Matthews
Wife: Mabel Agnes Matthews (nee Lincoln)

Military service:

1st Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Lieutenant-Colonel

Medal(s): Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (7)
Queen’s South Africa Medal with 6 clasps
1914-1915 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Hon. D.C.L. (Durham)

Gender: Male

Contributed by John Edwards


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