Oswald Arthur Matthews was born in 1921. He was the son of Eric Rupert Matthews and of Annie Dorothea Matthews (nee Park), of Wellington City, New Zealand.

Oswald joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force and became an pilot with 115 Squadron, operating out off Marham.

Not much is known about his wartime career. He and his crew, which consisted of;

Sgt O.A.Matthews RNZAF
Sgt J.W.Bent
Sgt C.S.R.Edwards RCAF
Sgt K.G.MacLeay
Sgt A.Webster
Sgt W.A.Strachan RCAF

115 Squadron

participated in a mission to the German city of Munster on 7 July 1941.
115 Squadron was equipped with Wellington bombers at the time. It would be Sgt Matthew's 25th operational mission.

The crew took off in Wellington KO-D R1063 from Marham at 23.26. Almost two and a half hours later, Sgt Albert Webster, the wireless operator, called in "Am landing in the sea". It turned out they had been intercepted by a German night fighter, piloted by Onlt Helmut Woltersdorf of IV./NJG1.

In the engagment that took place, apparently both planes went down. The German night fighter cash landed on a sandbank near Schiermonnikoog. All three crew were survived and were rescued by a German Air Sea Rescue unit.

Sgt Matthew's crew was less lucky. Their Wellington crashed into the Waddensea off Schiermonnikoog.

Sgt Matthew's body washed ashore on 5 August 1941 at the coast of Schiermonnikoog. Sgt Strachan's body washed ashore two days later. Both were buried at Schiermonnikoog Vredenhof Cemetery. Sgt Webster's body washed ashore on the German coast and is buried at Kiel War Cemetery.
 

Sgt Oswald Matthews is buried at Schiermonnikoog Vredenhof Cemetery, grave 58.

 

(picture by Wim Bastiaanse)

Schiermonnikoog, The Netherlands

 

See also:
Sgt William Strachan
Sgt J.W. Bent
Sgt C.S.R.Edwards
Sgt K.G. MacLeay
Sgt A. Webster
 

Sources and Acknowledgements::
Martyn, Errol W.,  For Your Tomorrow, Volume I, Christchurch: Volplane Press 1999
Bruce, Don, 115 Squadron Roll of Honour, Self Published 2003

RAF Squadron crest © Crown Copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office

Directions to Schiemonnikoog General Cemetery

Posted 27 May 2008

If you have any suggestions, comments or additional information, please contact me.

This website is dedicated to the men and women who died and/or are buried in The Netherlands during World War II.

 

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