Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Thiepval Memorial, Picardie | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.129 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 8A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
See BARNES, the true family name. 2nd Baron Gorell. Son of the late Rt. Hon. John Gorell Barnes, 1st Baron Gorell.Education & Career :
Myles Lewis Wigan Matthews went to Eton before going up to Univ, matriculating 1911 , aged 23.
He read Law, was JCR President in 1913/14, and was a member of the Univ Eight which went Head of the River in 1914.
He was in the Shakespear Club in 1914, four of whose ten members would be killed in the War:
Arthur Tuke (1910), who joined the 3rd attached 2nd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, and was killed at Ypres in May 1915
Hugh Hunter (1911), who joined the 3rd attached 2nd Wiltshire Regiment and died in London in April 1915, having been badly wounded in Flanders
Francis Thomson (1910), who joined the 1st/7th Battalion Royal Scots, and was killed at Gallipoli in June 1915
and
Myles Matthews (1911).
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 6/Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) |
6th (Service) Battalion Formed at Maidstone on 14 August 1914 as part of K1 and attached to 37th Brigade in 12th (Eastern) Division. Moved initially to Colchester and on to Purfleet in September 1914 before going to billets in Hythe in December. Moved to Aldershot in February 1915. 1 June 1915 : landed at Boulogne. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Citations & Commemorations :
He was mentioned in dispatches in 1916.Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Apollo University No. 357 E.C. | Oxfordshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
7th May 1912 | 18th June 1912 | 28th October 1912 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley