David Matthews – Devonshire Regiment, “A” Company, 2nd Battalion

Private David Matthews – Devonshire Regiment, “A” Company, 2nd Battalion

David Matthews was born in 1890 in Llandilo Talybont, the son of David Matthews and Anne Lewis.

1891 Census

According to the 1891 Census, the family were living at Thanusdilo, Llandilo Talybont, where David senior, aged 28, worked as a Doubler in the Tin Works, while his wife Anne, aged 29, managed the home. Their children at that time were Daniel, aged 4, who attended school, and David, aged 1. The census reflects a young family rooted in the industrial communities of rural Glamorgan.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the Matthews family had moved to Ynys Letty, Pontardulais, Swansea. David senior, now 47, was employed as a Haulier, and his wife Ann, aged 49, continued to manage the household. Several of their children were still living at home: David, aged 21, working as an Underground Haulier in a Colliery; Mary, aged 18, employed in Carrying in the Tin Works; Margaret, aged 16, a Dressmaker; Lizzie Hanah Matthews, aged 14; Sarah Ann, aged 12; William Jno, aged 9; and Thomas, aged 7. Also present was their niece, Elenor Mary Jones, aged 20, who was likewise employed in Carrying in the Tin Works. The census paints a picture of a hardworking industrial family whose members were closely tied to the tinplate and coal industries of Pontardulais.

As a young man, David Matthews enlisted and served as a Private with the Devonshire Regiment, “A” Company, 2nd Battalion. This Regular Army battalion had been recalled from Egypt at the outbreak of the First World War and had served continuously on the Western Front from 1914 onward. By the summer of 1916, the battalion was preparing for its role in the opening assault of the Battle of the Somme.

David Matthews
Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France
credit - findagrave

On 1 July 1916, the 2nd Devons advanced across the exposed ground of Mash Valley toward the German strongpoint at Ovillers Spur. As soon as they left their trenches, they were met by devastating machine‑gun fire, and entire companies were cut down within minutes. The battalion suffered catastrophic losses, and among those killed in the assault was Private David Matthews.

Like so many who fell that morning, he has no known grave. His name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France — the great monument to the missing of the Somme, where more than 72,000 men with no known resting place are honoured. Though the surviving details of David’s life are limited, his sacrifice is preserved in the enduring record of the 2nd Devons and in the solemn stone of Thiepval, where his name stands among those who gave everything on that first terrible day of the Somme.