The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. H G Matthews

Henry George Matthews was born on 30th January 1920. He joined the RAF in June 1939 as an Aircrafthand.

He later remustered as an Airman u/t WOp/AG and after completing his training joined 236 Squadron at St. Eval on 3rd September 1940.

Above, the crew of the DFM sortie: L to R P/O J Watters (NZ), F/Lt. MR MacArthur, Sgt. HG Matthews.

He was awarded the DFM (gazetted 25th November 1941). The citation read:

On 5th March 1941, Sergeant Matthews was Air Gunner in a Blenheim aircraft flown by Flt Lt MacArthur. Half a mile west of Fastnet Rock off the south coast of Ireland, two Heinkel 111 aircraft were encountered and attacked. During the ensuing fight, Sergeant Matthews was severely wounded in the left shoulder. Despite this injury, he continued to man his turret and during the return flight of 30 minutes, Sergeant Matthews was continuously in touch with his base by W/T. This NCO was mainly responsible for the safe return of the aircraft.

His subsequent service is currently undocumented until he was commissioned in June 1942.

Matthews stayed on in the postwar RAF, in the Secretarial Branch before retiring on 30th January 1969 as a Squadron Leader.

From 1963 to 1969 he was the station commander of RAF Bentwaters, then the home of the USAF 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, from where he retired on 30th January 1969 as a squadron Leader.

He died in October 1990 in Ulverston, Cumbria.