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Second Lieutenant Eric Mathers, aged 23, was killed instantaneously by a shell explosion at the 2nd Battle of Cambrai on 8 Oct 1918. He is buried at the Ramicourt British Cemetery, Aisne, Picardie, France. He enlisted at Beverley on 8 Feb 1915 and joined the 18th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers (1st Public schools). After training at Clipstone and Tidworth camps, he arrived in France on 14 Nov 1915. The 18th were disbanded in early spring 1916 and, given the shortage of officers in Lord Kitchener’s New Army, many men were sent for officer training. Eric received his commission in late Sep 1916 and joined the 6th Battalion of the newly formed Machine Gun Corps which had the reputation of receiving the best officer recruits. As part of 2nd Division they saw action on the Somme in 1916 and at Arras and Cambrai in 1917. In early 1918 Eric contracted trench fever and was sent to recuperate in the UK, only returning to the front in May 1918. He was subsequently involved in many of the actions of the Hundred Days Offensive during which the allied armies forced the Germans to retreat in France. Eric was awarded the 1914-15 Star and the War and Victory Medals.
According to Major Cooper of the MGC, Eric was “a good officer”, “exceptionally keen and brave…and one on whom every reliance could be placed. He also stated that, “ His men respected him, and all officers, particularly those of “D” Company, feel his loss acutely.”
Eric was born in Beverley on 7 Aug 1895, his father, George Robert Mathers, was from Driffield and worked in the grocery trade, latterly as a commercial traveller in tea. Eric’s mother, Zillah, was from Hunmanby. They lived at 110 Norwood. Eric was the youngest of three children and attended St Mary’s Boys’ School, Beverley and the Technical College, Park Street, Hull. He became a bank clerk, and worked at Barclay’s Bank in Driffield prior to enlistment. He was also in the Church Lads’ Brigade and reached the rank of Sergeant. He was unmarried.
Eric is remembered today on the Hengate Memorial and on the East Riding Memorial in Beverley Minster. He is listed on the Roll of Honour of St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Boys’ School, the Beverley CLB and the Hull Technical College. He is also on the Norwood Street Shrine.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |