Photo: Smiths Dock

CWGC Headstone

RND Service card

Matthew Burdon was born at 68 Robertson Street, South Shields on the 11th July, 1890, and was baptised on the 10th August, 1890 at St. Stephen's Church, South Shields. His parents, Daniel Thompson Osborne Burdon and Louisa [nee Marshall], were married on the 21st January 1889 at the Registrar’s Office in South Shields.

His maternal grandparents were William Marshall (born 1834, died 1925) and Dorothy nee Mail (born 1840, died 1907); they had six daughters and four sons including Matthew’s mother Louisa. His aunts were Mary Ellen Marshall (born 1859, died 1933); Dorothy (born 1861); Rachel Buck (born 1868, died 1951); Elizabeth (born 1877) and Josephine (born 1882, died 1963); and his uncles were William (born 1863, died 1909); Jeremiah (born 1870, died 1872); Jeremiah (born 1873, died 1914) and John (born 1879, died 1911).

In 1881, his father, Daniel, aged 17, was working as a boilersmith by trade at Smiths Dock, and was living with his parents and brothers and sisters, at the Pilot Lookout House, South Shields. His mother, Louisa, had been working as a general servant for a family (at 15), during the same year when the census was taken; she was residing with a family in 7 Marine Approach, South Shields, and the head of the household was the Manager of a Flint Glassworks.

The following year after their marriage, in 1890, Louisa gave birth to Matthew and in 1891 the census shows Daniel, Louisa and Matthew (now aged 9 months old), were residing at 68 Robertson Street, South Shields.

His first sister Dorothy Marshall was born on 23rd April 1892, she was followed the following year by Priscilla who was born in March 1893. His brother William Marshall was born on 9th June 1895. Sadly, he died the same year.

The family were residing at 112 Cleveland Street, South Shields in 1901; the following year another sister, Josephine Marshall, was born on 9th September 1902.

Matthew’s paternal grandparents were Matthew Burdon (born 1831, died 1894); and Elizabeth Hayton Evans (born 1832, died 1910). His aunts and uncles were Anne Maria Burdon (born 1852, died 1905); Robert Hayton Burdon (born 1854, died 1905); Matthew Burdon (born 1856, died 1925); John Evans Burdon (born 1858, died 1924); Charlotte Dobson Burdon (born 1859, died 1872); Anthony Dobson Burdon (born 1861, died 1893); Ada Burdon (born 1864); Mary Jane Burdon (born 1867, died 1927); Thomas Burdon (born 1868, died 1873); Ralph John Reed Burdon (born 1873, died 1952); William Harris Burdon (born 1874, died 1958).

Sadly, his father Daniel Thompson Osborne passed away on 15th December 1906, in South Shields, at the age of 43 years. Not long after in 1911, Matthew’s sister Priscilla died at the family home.

When the 1911 census was held, it shows the family residing at 66 Nora Street, South Shields. Matthew was 20 and not far away from the age of 21-years-old and residing with his mother and his sisters, Dorothy and Josephine, and his mother is listed in Kelly’s Directory in 1914 as a shopkeeper.

Matthew Burdon enlisted in the RNVR on Tuesday the 7th October 1914 when he was 24 years-old, 5 feet 4 inches. fresh complexion, dark brown hair with grey eyes, as an Ordinary Seaman, and is posted into the Hawke Battalion.

The Hawke Battalion was the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Royal Naval Brigade.

Matthew trained at Blandford and was in 'B' Company commanded by Lieutenant G. U. Price, R.N.V.R. On the 7th May 1915 the Battalion received orders to proceed overseas. So at 10pm 'A' and 'B' companies moved out of the camp on Saturday with 'C' and 'D' companies following at 3.30pm on Sunday.

They were taken by train to Avonmouth where they boarded the S.S. Ascania Ship number 131342, and the S.S. Inverni Ship number 110643, Matthew travelled on the Ascania. He arrived at Mudros, after stopping at Malta for 24 hours previously, on the 17th May for the Gallipoli campaign.

On the evening of the 27th May 1915, the Hawke Battalion set out on the drifters Immingham Ship number 125042, and Brighton Ship number 106645 for Cape Helles. The battalion landed just around Midnight. The battalion then marched approximately a mile and a half on the left of the road from Sedd-el-Bahr to Krithia, they then were ordered to dig. The Battalion was partly hidden by scattered trees and shrubs from the Turkish trenches on the slopes of Achibaba.

On December the 6th, (recorded on the 24th December), Matthew was wounded with shrapnel to his left side of his face and a severe fracture on the 6th December. His wound was described as "by a shrapnel bullet about 2 finger-breadths in front of the left ear above the Zygoma causing a vertical wound about 1 and a half inches long".

He was admitted to the 19th British General Hospital at Alexandria, on the 2nd January 1916. His next of kin were informed on the 22nd January 1916. On the 26th January he was moved to the 6th Convalescent Military Hospital to recover at Ramleh. Matthew was then transferred to the 17th General Hospital at Alexandria. The 17th General Hospital had arrived in April 1915, as a complete hospital but had been sent out without any female nursing-staff which proved to be a disaster, when the avalanche of wounded from the Dardanelles descended so unexpectedly. Thus the General Hospitals, where at first entirely supplied from local resources, these being gradually replaced by Army nurses augmented by the V.A.D.

Matthew was admitted with a septic thumb on the 31st January 1916. He was transferred to the Montazah Convalescent Hospital. On the 18th February he returned back to the 19th General Hospital.

He was finally discharged from hospital on the 17th March 1916. On the 20th March he embarked on the H.M.T. Crispin Quay 81 at Alexandria for Mudros. Matthew returned to his unit which are now in France, from Mudros on board the H.T. Menoninee, from the 1st June, arriving at Marseilles on the 7th June 1916.

Matthew was back with the Hawke Battalion until the 14th of June, where he transferred to the Hood Battalion. Matthew was given leave from the 18th November till the 3rd December. Matthew was promoted Leading Seaman Higher Grade on the 18th March 1917.

The division was transferred to the British Army as the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division, re-using the number from the disbanded second-line 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division Territorial Force. As an Army formation, it fought on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.

The Battle of Ancre.
The plan was for the battalions to leap-frog towards the final objective. The 1st RMLI, Howe, Hawke and Hood battalions were assigned the Dotted Green Line and the Yellow Line, the 2nd RMLI, Anson, Nelson and Drake battalions were to take the Green and Red lines. When the battle began in the early hours of the 13th November, platoons from the 1st RMLI crawled across no-man's land towards the German line. A creeping barrage was fired by the British artillery but many casualties were suffered in no-man's land, about 50 percent of the total casualties occurring before the first German trench had been captured. German artillery-fire and machine-gun fire was so effective that all company commanding officers of the 1st RMLI were killed before reaching the first objective.

The German trenches had been severely damaged by the British bombardment, the attackers lost direction and leap-frogging broke down. The commander and second-in-command of the Drake Battalion were killed and the Hawke battalion lost its commander and several company commanders. Freyberg, having been promoted to temporary lieutenant-colonel and command of the Hood Battalion, led it to the Green Line and pressed forward with the remaining men of the Drake Battalion. The station road served as a landmark and allowed the attackers to orientate themselves and re-organise the attack. The next creeping barrage began on time at 7:30 a.m., and led the British towards the Yellow Line at Beaucourt Station. The Nelson, Hawke and Howe battalions had suffered many casualties; Lieutenant-Colonel Burge of the Nelson Battalion was killed whilst attacking a fortified section of the Dotted Green Line and Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson was severely wounded attacking the same objective. Lieutenant-Colonel Saunders was killed early in the battle but the Anson Battalion still managed to capture the Green Line and advance to the Yellow Line, after making contact with the 51st Highland Division to its left. By 10:30 p.m. Beaucourt had been captured.

Matthew was killed on the 24th April 1917.

From dawn the Hood positions were bombarded relentlessly, which was repeated throughout the day with such force. When the fire lifted to the back areas, the Germans counter attacked up to 7 times that day. By nightfall the village of Gavrelle was ours.

Matthews body was lost and it was found in September 1927.

Research by Cynthia Kent and James Pasby

Matthew Burdon is remembered at South Shields in S86.004 page 5, page 13, and on S86.043, Harton on H104.01, at North Shields on N34.04, in N34.30 page 5 and 13, and in N34.30 page 96.

Battle of Gavrelle RND part
The CWGC entry for Leading Seaman Burdon