Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthFebruary 27, 1894
Place of BirthHigh Bluff, Manitoba
CountryCanada
Marital StatusSingle
Next of KinMiss Bertha R Reid, High Bluff, Manitoba
Trade / CallingFarmer
ReligionPresbyterian
Service Details
Regimental Number81733
Service Record Link to Service Record
Battalion2nd Battalion
ForceCanadian Expeditionary Force
BranchCanadian Infantry
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Address at EnlistmentWinnipeg, Manitoba
Date of EnlistmentDecember 15, 1914
Age at Enlistment20
Theatre of ServiceEurope
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathMay 23, 1951
Age at Death57
Buried AtLake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario
Plot31E-18-4

Reid, Matthew Robinson

Matthew Robinson Reid was born on 27 February 1894 to William and Eliza (Moggey) Reid in Portage la Prairie. He was the 9th of 11 children. In 1906 the family was living in High Bluff, Manitoba. His name on the census form was given as Robinson.

Reid enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in Winnipeg, on 15 December 1914 and was assigned to the 32nd Battalion. His unit appeared to sail on the S.S. Vaterland (later named Southland) on 23 February 1915. There were 35 officers and 963 other ranks on board. His group arrived in Avonmouth, England on March 7th, and were soon transferred to Shorncliffe. During this time, Reid was re-assigned to the 2nd Battalion. His Battalion was sent to France on 5 May 1915.

On 6 June 1916 Reid suffered a slight gunshot wound to his right arm. This would likely have been during the battle known as Mount Sorrel, a high point near Ypres. There were many Canadian casualties during this battle, and Reid was fortunate to have only been slightly wounded. He spent four days in hospital in Boulogne, and then rejoined his unit. He spent three days in the Canadian Base Depot with undescribed medical issues again in September. He remained active with his unit until April 1918 when he was again hospitalized with nephritis. He was sent to Brighton England, where he was treated until July. A condition of debility, following the nephritis, caused him to be assigned to temporary duties in the 3rd Canadian Convalescent Depot (CCD), Seaford. In September, 1918 he was reassigned to the Canadian Army Dental Corps (CADC) also in Seaford. In October, he was given permission to marry. In December he was again transferred to Witley. The war being over, he was SOS to the General Depot in Witley awaiting return to Canada.

He sailed home on the 23rd of April, arriving on 2 May 1919. Matthew Robinson Reid was married to Kathleen Simpson (1889-1959) in 1918 in Edinburgh, Scotland and moved to Hudson, Ontario. He died on 23 May 1951, sadly having fallen ill while attending the wedding of his son William in Kenora. The article in the newspaper mentions also two daughters, Mrs. S. E. McLean, of Dundas Centre, P.E.I., and Mrs. Laurie Perkins of McDonald Manitoba. The article mentions that he had been president of the Hudson branch of the Canadian Legion, had served also in WWII, and was a member of the United Church.

Reid-Matthew-Reid-2


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