My grandpa, Ronald Hayward Matthews, was a private (Serial No 12/597) in the 15th Regiment of the
Auckland Infantry Battalion (Main Body, New Zealand Expeditionary Force).
He signed up on the 17th August
1914 and left New Zealand from Auckland aboard the HMNZT 12 (SS Waimana) on the
16 Oct 1914. He disembarked at Port Suez
on the 13 December 1914.
He
and his brothers fought at Gallipoli for the whole duration and at the end they
were evacuated around 20 December 1915 to Lemnos and then taken to Egypt where
they celebrated Christmas.
He then fought at Somme but was wounded just before 20 September 1916. He was treated in Dublin.
He then fought at Somme but was wounded just before 20 September 1916. He was treated in Dublin.
He
married my grandmother (Marionetta Euphemia Dinwoodie), who he met in Scotland,
on the 18 February 1919, and eventually travelled back to work on the family
farm just north of Kaitaia.
~ Sue Leask
~ Sue Leask
No comments:
Post a Comment