Private Matthew Curling Friend
| Date of Birth | c. 1879 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 37 |
| Date of Death | 4 December 1916 |
| Service Number | M1/09216 |
| Military Service | Royal Army Service Corps |
| Merton Address | 67 Merton Road |
| Local Memorial | Streatham Park Cemetery |
Additional Information
Matthew was the son of Edward, a Commission Agent, and his wife Robina and was born in 1879 in Cheshire. He was baptised on 17 July 1879 in Babington. He was the third of six children listed on the 1891 census with older siblings Edward and Henry and younger ones Jesse, Norah and William. The family were living at 4 The Bank, Upper Holloway .
Matthew married Hilda May Cooper on 27 September 1905 and they had one daughter, Doris Mary who was born on 30 July 1909.
He enlisted in November 1914 aged 35. He was 5ft 7.5ins tall and had an anchor tattooed on his left thigh.
Matthew’s war was short lived. He was part of the expeditionary force sent to France but was discharged from the Army on 31 December 1915 as he was considered no longer physically fit for active service. One of the service papers available on Ancestry describe him as “rather feeble-minded, his memory is weak, pupils react to light sluggishly”. They also describe him as suffering from “General Paralysis”.
Matthew died on 4 December 1916.
The paperwork relating to his pension travelled across the UK from Mertsham in Surrey to North Finchley and Aberdovey before finally reaching his wife who had moved to Wimbledon.
Matthew is buried in Streatham Park Cemetery.