Robert Matthews was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, on the 7th July 1880, the son of Thomas and Mary Matthews (née Heap). Robert was the third eldest of six children, and his father was a butcher.
On completion of his formal education, Robert became a butcher, working with his father, and on the 27th May 1901, he married Martha Ellen Dunham. Their daughter, Aileen Mary, was born in May 1903.
In February 1905, Robert and his wife and daughter immigrated to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, where he became a farmer, eventually with a considerable holding. He had also been a partner in the firm of Matthew's Brothers Employment Agency, of Chantry Avenue, Moose Jaw, which he ran with his brother Thomas, until 1913, when he pulled out of the venture. As well as farm land, Robert built up a considerable portfolio of city real estate, stocks, and bonds.
The family home was at Victoria Apartment, Victoria Hall, South Hill, Moose Jaw, where the couple welcomed their second daughter, Bertha Muriel Freda, born in April 1906.
Sometime after his arrival in Canada, he had joined the Active Militia of Canada and on 8th April 1912, was appointed a Lieutenant in the 60th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, based in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Robert also owned a farm in Minitonas, Manitoba, where he spent the winter of 1914 - 1915, leaving his wife and family behind in Moose Jaw. Whilst there, he formed a romantic relationship with a woman named Annie D. Cross, who was living at the Post Office in Minitonas, and may have worked there.
In early 1915, he tried to transfer to the 46th Battalion, so that he could become involved in the war in Europe - the 46th later mobilised for overseas service at Moose Jaw. When his transfer request was turned down, however, he decided to travel to England instead, to seek a commission in a battalion of Kitchener's New Army.
Consequently, he booked second cabin passage for himself and Annie D. Cross on the May sailing of the Lusitania, purchasing their tickets in Swan River, the nearest large town to Minitonas. Having travelled to New York, the pair boarded the liner, posing as “man and wife”, at the Cunard berth at Pier 54, in New York before she left the port for the last time, just after mid-day, on 1st May 1915.
Exactly six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May 1915, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, within sight of the coast of southern Ireland, and both he and Annie Cross were killed. Although her body was never recovered and identified, his was taken from the sea off Kinsale, on the evening of 7th May 1915, by the Royal Naval patrol boat H.M.S. Heron, and taken to the mortuary at the British Army barracks in Kinsale There, it was given the reference number 1 for corpses landed there and described by Cunard as: -
Identified as Lieut. Matthews, Saloon. Identified as Lieut. R. Matthews of the 6th Rifles (sic.), Winnipeg by certificates and papers found in his pockets. About 35 years of age, 5ft 8 ins. high with light
brown hair fair moustache, good teeth with one gold tooth in right upper jaw, he wore a greenish brown Norfolk tweed suit, a black white striped shirt of a rich material, a black tie, a check tweed cap and black socks, there was a gold watch and chain found in the man's pocket, and a gold ring on third finger of right hand, the ring contained a diamond, there were two cuff links and a fountain pen, 2 badges of Lusitania was found with slip of paper with words "First prize Potato race Ladies Mrs. Matthews", a business card with words "John Wanamaker, New York" and in corner "D.L. McQuarril notary public Bureau of information" a S/C saloon ticket, an Aliens Restriction Card authorising him to land in England, an envelope addressed to Capt. Matthews, 2 receipts for luggage conveyed from Winnipeg to New York, and receipt for postal charges. He had 1 20 $ Bill, 2 5$ bills, 3 1 $ bills, 3 dimes, 2 5 cent pieces a luggage ticket No. 413, 2 shillings silver.
Lieutenant Matthews was aged 34 years at the time of his death.
As he was a serving British Army officer, his body was then claimed by the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion, The Connaught Rangers, which was the appropriate military authority garrisoned in the area, and then, on 10th May 1915, it was buried, in Cork Military Cemetery, in Plot 5, Row C, Grave 745. Originally, an oak cross was placed over the grave, with the inscription: -
“CANADA”
LIEUT: R. MATTHEWS
60th. BATTN:
7-5-15.
After the war, however, an Imperial War Graves Commission headstone was erected in its place.
According to The Moose Jaw Evening Times of Tuesday 11th May 1915: -
He sailed on the Lusitania on May 1st, registering as R. Matthews, of Winnipeg.
Nothing has since been heard of him, and this morning Col. Snell (of the 60th Rifles), received a cable asking for the name and address of the next of kin of Lt. R. Matthews, whose body had been identified at Kinsale, Ireland. When the news was communicated to Mrs. Matthews, she was prostrated with grief.
Further, according to Cunard records, property recovered from his body was sent to a Mr. W. Ingle of 4, Parliament Street, Cork, on behalf of widow, Mrs. Matthews, Victoria Apartment, Moose Jaw, Canada, on August 9th 1915.
Thus it would appear that Annie Cross was certainly not his lawful wife!
This view is further supported by information given on 16th May 1928 by Major Clyde R. Scott, Assistant Director of Records, in reply to a letter from the Secretary of The Imperial War Graves Commission, requesting details of the next of kin of the late Lieutenant Matthews. The reply stated: -
Adverting to your letter FV.9/C28/23/3 undated, which is believed to concern the marginally noted ex-officer of the Canadian Active Militia, as the result of enquiries made it has been ascertained that his next of kin (wife) is at present residing with her daughter: -
Mrs. O.K. Davis
No. 1. Firehall,
Lethbridge, Alberta,
Canada.
A later address for Lieutenant Matthews’ widow was 12th Street A, North, Lethbridge, Alberta.
This is not the only controversy which concerns Lieutenant Matthews!
In his book Lusitania, published in 1972, author Colin Simpson states that on 30th April 1915, a party of 70 persons was transferred from the steamer S.S. Queen Margaret to the Lusitania. He says that amongst these 70 were Mr. and Mrs. R. Matthews, (although he spells the name Mathews), Mr. and Mrs. Palmer and a baby, and that Matthews took charge of a party of volunteers who transferred some cargo, including ammunition to the Lusitania. He further states that from papers later found on Matthews' body that the volunteers were soldiers from the 6th Winnipeg Rifles and that one of the papers was a warrant for their travel! Simpson is of the opinion that the whole party were Canadian soldiers travelling to England as civilians, to avoid violating America's neutrality laws: -
The identity of Mr. Matthews and his volunteers may be reasonably assumed from the report of a body washed up on the rocks of the Old Head of Kinsale on 8 May, and a list of effects which were found on it: “Male body identified as Lt T[temporary]/Capt. R. Mathews (sic) of the 6th Winnipeg Rifles by certificates and papers found in his pockets.” The papers included steamer warrants for himself, his two dependants and a draft of volunteers from the 6th Rifles. Amongst the wholly personal memorabilia was a slip of paper attached to a badge of the Lusitania marked “First prize Ladies Potato Race : Mrs Mathews.”
Most of this, however, is speculation, if not fabrication. In point of fact, the S.S. Queen Margaret sailed from New York on 29th May, having already had her cargo diverted to the Lusitania on the 26th! Furthermore, the report on the finding of Matthews' body, filed in the Cunard’s archive at The Sidney Jones Library at Liverpool University, shown above, makes no mention at all of any travel warrant to do with men of the Winnipeg Rifles.
Furthermore, as we have seen, Lieutenant Matthews' body was not washed up on the rocks of the Old Head of Kinsale on 8 May, but was taken from the sea off Kinsale on
the evening of the 7th. In point of fact, when the inquest opened on bodies brought into Kinsale, on the evening of 8th May, the coroner, Mr. John Horgan, was given information about his body, (and another) from Sergeant Patrick Cahill of The Royal Irish Constabulary, who had examined the body. He stated: -
In accordance with information received, I examined two of the bodies last night.
Number one was a male. He was about 35 years of age, light brown hair, fair moustache, fair complexion, about five feet 8 inches high. He wore a greenish brown striped tweed Norfolk suit and a black and white striped shirt of a rich silky material, a check tweed cap, and dark socks. There was no tailors mark in clothes or shirts. The clothing and underclothing was of very good quality. The collar was a low one and part of the shirt. The tie was black silk. There was a gold watch and chain found in his pockets. The watch is stopped at 2.37. There was a gold ring on the third finger of the left hand which contained a diamond. There was two cuff links on the shirt. There was a fountain pen of American make. There was a badge of the Lusitania and attached to the badge was a slip of paper on which was written “Second Prize Potato Race Ladies Mrs. Matthews.”
There was also a business card bearing in centre “John Wanamaker, New York” and on left hand corner “D.L. Notary Public Macquarrie, Bureau of Information”. There was also a second saloon table ticket. There was also a certificate of military instruction from the School of Instruction at Winnipeg, stating that Lieutenant R. Matthews had qualified for the rank of Lieutenant, stamped Sept. 13. 1913. There was also a second certificate stating that Lieutenant R. Matthews had qualified for portion of the examination for rank of Captain. Also a landing card under the Aliens Restrictions Order, authorising Robert Matthews and one member of his family to land in England.
There was also a portion of an envelope addressed to Capt. R. Matthews, 60th Rifles of Canada, ‘H’ Company, dated November 25. There are also two receipts for luggage conveyed by The Canadian Northern Express Company and The Pullman Company for luggage conveyed for Mr. and Mrs. Matthews from Winnipeg to New York for the Cunard Line and a receipt for postal charges, also an envelope with “No next below winning No 12/6” written on it, and a copy of The Cunard Daily Bulletin dated Thursday May 6th.
He had one false gold tooth on the right upper jaw, one twenty dollar bill, two five dollar bills, three one dollar bills, three dimes and two five cent pieces, a luggage ticket of the Cunard Company, R.M.S. Lusitania No 413.
Apart from one or two transcribing differences, the description is very similar to that held in the Liverpool Uni
himself, his two dependants and a draft of volunteers from the 6th Rifles, as stated by Simpson.
Colin Simpson goes on to compound the mystery still further, however, when he states: -
The author found a report by Sergeant Phelan of Schull, County Cork, who on 12 May 1915 found two bodies on the beach. They were of a woman and a six-month-old baby boy strapped together with an officer's Sam Browne belt. The bodies were unidentifiable but the woman wore a jacket supplied by T. Eaton and Co. of Winnipeg, and in the lapel of the coat was a small ruby and brilliant badge of the 6th Winnipeg Rifles. They are buried together in a mass grave at Queenstown, Grave B, seventh row, lower tier, where they are listed as unidentified victims 179 and 179A.
The obvious inference drawn by Simpson is that the two bodies were those of Mrs. Matthews and her son and as he has already stated: - The papers included steamer warrants for himself, his two dependants and a draft of volunteers from the 6th Rifles, it is obvious that he believed that Mr. and Mrs. Matthews were travelling with an infant son and that all three were killed!
In point of fact, Cunard records show that victims 179 and 179A, far from being unidentified, were Mrs. Annie Palmer and her infant son Albert Palmer, who were buried together on 15th May in The Old Church Cemetery, Queenstown, in Mass Grave B, 5th Row, (not the seventh row). Her other son, Edgar Palmer was also killed and he is also buried in the upper tier of the same grave. The deaths of her husband, also named Albert, and her four year old daughter Olive, neither of whose bodies were recovered, completed the total destruction of the whole family. None of them had any connection with the military, however, and were on their way back to their native Smethwick, Staffordshire, England, from Toronto, Ontario, where they had been living.
The bodies of Annie and Albert Palmer, when recovered, were actually bound together by a British Army ‘Sam Browne’ leather belt, however, and although Robert Matthews was travelling in civilian clothes, it is tempting to speculate that the belt had belonged to him, as there were no other known British Army officers travelling second cabin class on the Lusitania’s last voyage!
Additionally, there was no such unit in the Canadian Army as the 6th Winnipeg Rifles. The 6th Canadian Infantry Battalion, was raised in Winnipeg, but was known as The Fort Garry Horse. The 61st Infantry Battalion was known as the Winnipeg Battalion and only the 144th Infantry Battalion was known as The Winnipeg Rifles. Perhaps Mrs. Palmer had a connection with one of the Winnipeg units, which was why she was wearing its brooch, because there is no official evidence anywhere to connect Lieutenant Matthews with any of the Winnipeg units. It is most likely, however, that Simpson has misinterpreted the papers found on Matthews’ body, which only ever referred to the 60th Rifles and that the only connection Matthews had with Winnipeg was that he began his journey from there. Any other assumption or connection has probably been made by Colin Simpson alone!
Further mystery also surrounds the Lieutenant himself in that at first, the Canadian Military authorities would not accept that a Lieutenant R. Matthews of the 60th Rifles. had sailed on the Lusitania. On 11th May 1915, the Adjutant General of the Militia Department at Ottawa, Ontario cabled the following message: -
Reference your telegram of date officer commanding 60th rifles report Lieut R. Mathews 60th not known definitely but believed he sailed on Lusitania under assumed name Clarige or similar stop. Wife and brother moosejaw to whom reported.
Extant Cunard records show no one of the name of Clarige or anything similar on any of the lists of passengers or crew and as Robert Matthews was travelling with a lady who was not his wife, that might account for any subterfuge that might have been adopted.
Eventually, however, the Canadian authorities did accept the identity of the dead officer as Lieutenant Robert Matthews and his unit as The 60th Rifles of Canada and his grave in Cork originally reflected this. Other mysteries still remain to be solved.
Today, Lieutenant Matthews’s burial place is unmarked, as Cork Military Cemetery was allowed to fall into disrepair after the setting up of the Irish Free State and members of the republican movement deliberately destroyed the headstones of what they saw as representatives of British Imperialism. Cork County Council, eventually removed the headstones and set them around the sides of the walls - with the consequence that a lot of them were lost. This included that of Robert Matthews.
Later, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission decided that the 83 Great War burials from the site would have to be commemorated elsewhere and erected new headstones to them all, including one to the memory of Lieutenant Matthews, in front of The Grangegorman Memorial which is situated in Grangegorman Military Cemetery, near the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The headstones are known as The Grangegorman (Cork) Memorial Headstones. The one which commemorates Lieutenant Matthews has the inscription: -
LIEUTENANT
R. MATHEWS
60TH BN. CANADIAN INF .
7TH MAY 1915 AGE 35 .
over a Christian cross and the private or family inscription: -
SUNSHINE PASSES
SHADOWS FALL
LOVES REMEMBRANCE
OUTLASTS ALL.
beneath it. It would appear that this spelling of the Lieutenant’s surname is incorrect.
Lieutenant Matthews’ remains, of course, are still buried somewhere in the Military Cemetery in Cork City!
Martha Ellen Matthews submitted a claim, on behalf of herself and their two daughters, with the Canadian Commission, seeking compensation for the loss of her husband. Following his death, his estate was estimated to be worth $22,000, however, after the claims of secured creditors were settled, there was nothing left for his wife and children! Martha Matthews was forced to find work to support herself and her daughters, and the years following her husband’s death were difficult for herself and her daughters. In 1926, the Commission awarded her $8,000 and each of her two daughters, $4,000.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Manchester England Church of England Births and Baptisms 1813 – 1915, 1881 Census of England & Wales, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1906 Census of Saskatchewan, 1911 Census of Canada, Canadian Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935, Cunard Records, Canadian Infantry Badges, Canadian National Archive, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Cross of Sacrifice III, Imperial War Museum, Canadian Claims Case No. 819, Cork Examiner, Moose Jaw Evening Times, Northern Whig, Swan River Star & Times, Yorkshire Observer, Lusitania, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/8-10, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Bonnie Ray, John Light, Paddy O’Sullivan, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.