MATTHEWS Bernard

Name	Bernard MATTHEWS
Country Of Origin	Australia
Born	1897
Died	1926
Birth/ Baptism	Born 18 December 1897, Tasmania
Parents	John Godfrey and Margaretta Matthews (formerly Seidel)
Apprenticeship	With his father
Skills	Watchmaker, Jeweller
Work Locations	Latrobe, Queenstown
Street Address	Gilbert Street, Latrobe Orr Street, Queenstown
Marriage/Spouse
Other	Also known as Pat. Other skills: Orchardist. August 1915: Bernard and his older brother Francis (Frank) enlisted in World War I. Bernard was recorded as a watchmaker, aged 18 years and two months, though he was not quite 18. November 1919: Returned home from war. According to the Examiner of 29 November, he had been in active service for over four years, wounded four times, including a gunshot wound to his right hand. 1920s: Worked at Queenstown with his father.
Death	8 November 1926 (29 years old) Cause of death: Accidentally drowned in a Strahan boating tragedy with three other men. They all served in World War I and were members of the City Football Club and businessmen. April 1927: Bernard’s body was not recovered, so the Public Trustee applied for an order to presume his death.
References
TAHO: RGD33/1/86 no1413 Birth 1897; AD961/1/15 1927. Web: National Archives of Australia, Series B2455, Service No. 3492; Ancestry: Australia Electoral Roll 1922, Australian Cemetery Index 1926. The Examiner (Launceston) 29 November 1919; Advocate 13 November 1926; Daily Telegraph 13 April 1927.