Matthew, Lieutenant Robert Theodore

Service highlights

  • Born: 27 July 1879, Saint John
  • Work: accountant with Bank of Montreal, including the St. Marys branch until 1911,
  • Rank: Lieutenant
  • Early service: joined the 24th Kent Regiment as a lieutenant on 7 November 1914
  • CEF: attested into the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a lieutenant with the 70th Canadian Infantry Battalion on 2 December 1915 at London
  • Role: battalion machine gun section commander
  • Training in England: posted to Shorncliffe
  • Front line unit: The 60th Canadian Infantry Battalion, serving with the 3rd Canadian Division
  • Wounded and died: wounded during the German attack on Hill 60 on 12 August 1916, died shortly afterward
  • Burial: Reninghelst New Military Cemetery, Belgium
  • Commemoration: remembered on the cenotaph in St. Marys

A Life and Service Remembered

Robert Theodore Matthew was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, and built a steady, respected life before the war. He worked as an accountant with the Bank of Montreal, moving through postings that included St. Marys and later Chatham. In those years he was not only a bank man, but someone who showed up in his community, active in local sports and clubs and rooted in the everyday life of the town.

When war came, he entered service as an officer rather than a young recruit learning everything from scratch. He first joined the 24th Kent Regiment as a lieutenant, then formally joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a lieutenant with the 70th Battalion. Those who served with him were dealing with shortages and constant change, and he was given responsibility for the machine gun section, a role that demanded calm judgement and practical leadership.

In 1916 he went overseas, trained in England, and was soon drafted to the 60th Battalion in the Ypres Salient. The summer was marked by trench tours that were never truly routine. On 12 August 1916, German patrols struck at Hill 60 and the defence was fierce. Casualties were heavy, and Matthew was among those wounded. He died not long after.

He was buried at Reninghelst New Military Cemetery in Belgium. Back home, his father, Dr. George F. Matthew of Saint John, carried the loss. In St. Marys, where he had once worked and belonged, his name remains part of the town’s memory on the cenotaph.

Major battles and operations

  • Service with the 60th Battalion in the Ypres Salient, summer 1916 trench tours
  • Hill 60 action, 12 August 1916

Learn More

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/573164
https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/person.php?pid=42030
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/900323/robert-matthews/
The Fallen by Richard Holt, Lieutenant R.T. Matthew, Pg 42