Trove Tuesday - Thomas William Bernard Matthews

One of the soldiers I am researching for the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society's World War 1 Project is a young lad from Turramurra, Thomas William Bernard Matthews, who lost his life near Louverville in France on April 2, 1917.

Trove is proving to be an invaluable resource for this project as we try to build up a picture of the subjects we are researching. The first mention I find of Thomas is in the Land Newspaper 291st Casualties List Killed in Action for NSW published on May 11, 1917. This tiny mention seems so out of proportion with the huge sacrifice made by this young man.

I have not been able to find a death notice for Thomas yet but I have found an In Memorium notice inserted by his family one year after his death. 

1918 'Family Notices.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 2 April, p. 6, viewed 17 June, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15766121

While the verse in this notice conveys the sentiments of Thomas' family other documents found on Trove tell us a little more about his family.

Another In Memorium notice from The Goulburn Evening Penny Post tells us that Thomas had an elder brother William Burnard who died in infancy. It is probable that Thomas William Bernard was named for this brother.

1892 'Family Notices.', Goulburn Evening Penny Post (NSW : 1881 - 1940), 5 November, p. 4, viewed 17 June, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98477862

The death notice for his father, J T Matthews, indicates that Thomas was the son of a former taxi proprietor in the country town of Goulburn, NSW.

1929 'Family Notices.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 30 April, p. 10, viewed 17 June, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16557795

I am so grateful to Trove for providing this extra information on Thomas.