bentley priory - Spink

September 6, 2012 - LONDON
Matthews (front row, centre) with the Wasps Rugby Football team
probable Me.109 on the 21st October, following this up with
a confirmed destroyed two days later, and finishing with a
half share in another destroyed on the 27th of the month:
‘Jumped 2 Me.109s shadowing bombers. Had a crack- he
went straight down- shot at another and he went down
pouring white smoke...Had short burst on Me.109 from long
range. He rolled over and dived pouring white smoke the
whole way down- must watch them hit the deck...One
Me.109 flew round Squadron and made head on attack at
me. I fired head on and as he went over me turned towards
him and did one turn of a spin, then fired at him on the way
down. Straight in’ (ibid).
Shot Down Over the Mediterranean
On the 3rd November 1942, during an engagement with
Ju.87s and Me.109s over the North African cost, Matthews’
luck ran out and he ended up in the Mediterranean: ‘Shot
down over sea- baled out. Got into dinghy at 07:35 hoursthe
boys came over at 09:00 hours and patrolled. Picked up
by RAF rescue launch at 10:15 hours. Perfectly ok if a bit
wet’ (ibid). The following month he ended his tour and was
appointed C.G.I. at No. 71 O.T.U. at Carthago in the
Sudan, and subsequently at Ismailia. It was in Egypt that his
next saxophone, a replacement for the one surrendered to the
Germans, came in handy: ‘Three of us were in Cairo and
although we had our pay books we’d received no money. So
we sold the sax for 25 quid in the bazaar, which paid the bills
at the Shepherd’s Hotel’ (Article in the Sunday Express
magazine, 11.9.1988 refers). He commenced his third tour
at the head of No. 111 Squadron, Desert Air Wing (Spitfires)
in August 1943, and after a couple of months of near misses
and ‘nothing doings’ had his final victory of the War on the
2nd December: ‘Terrific Battle in progress in Cassino area.
Saw 3 Fi.156s in a valley north west of Pratola- the others
shared one, I got one, and the third disappeared’ (Log Book
refers). Later that month he was injured in a road accident in
Italy, and returned to the U.K. in January 1944, where he
was posted to Bentley Priory as Ops 1 at Fighter Command
Headquarters for a year. A keen rugby player, he played for
Wasps throughout the 1944-45 season on the left wing.
Remaining in the Royal Air Force after the end of the War,
he was posted as Group Intelligence Officer, Headquarters,
83 Group, in November 1945 and undertook various duties
with BAFO until May 1946, when he returned to the U.K.
for two years’ service at Headquarters, Reserve Command,
becoming Officer Commanding, 21 Reserve Centre,
Plymouth, in April 1949. Attached to No.245 Squadron
from March to May 1952, he was appointed to the
Command of No. 502 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force,
July 1952, begin promoted Wing Commander, 1.7.1953.
His final overseas posting was as Air Attaché in Prague for
three years, before serving as Permanent President, Courts
Martial, at RAF Stanmore for two years immediately prior to
retirement. He retired from the Royal Air Force, retaining
the rank of Group Captain, 8.5.1966, and subsequently
worked as a Director of Olympia and Earls Court for 16
years. He died 2.10.1991.
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