Edward Matthews (Australian Soldier)

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Albert Edward "Ted" Matthews was born on 11 November 1896 in Leichhardt, an inner city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He has only 17 years of age when he enlisted to serve as an infantryman in the First World War. He became a signals officer in the Australian 1st Infantry Brigade.

Matthews took part in the first ANZAC landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915 at what is now known as ANZAC Cove. Early in the landing, Matthews was hit in the chest by a shrapnel shard. A thick pocket-book - a present from his mother - saved his life.

After Gallipoli, he went on to fight on the Western Front. He was one of the Australian soldiers who were part of remarkable feat of arms achieved at Villers-Bretonneux.^[1]

Matthews was the last veteran of the Gallipoli landing. As a man who had seen the brutality of war, Ted Matthews sometimes spoke publicly of the futility of wars. He regarded ANZAC Day as

"... not for old diggers to remember, it's for survivors to warn the young about the dangers of romanticising war."^[2]

He died in his sleep on 9 December 1997. ^[3] He was given a State Funeral in recognition of his war service and his special place in Australian history.