Profile

MATHESON, John Thomas
(Service number 75650)

Aliases Known as Thomas
First Rank Private Last Rank Private

Birth

Date 24 June 1890 Place of Birth Timaru

Enlistment Information

Date Age
Address at Enlistment Ohakune Junction
Occupation Railway employee
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin Mrs J. MATHESON (mother), Rosebrook, Gleniti, Timaru
Religion Roman Catholic
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 39th Reinforcements, A Company
Date 13 June 1918
Transport Athenic
Embarked From Destination Liverpool, Merseyside, England
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With Wellington Regiment

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 2 September 1958 Age 68 years
Place of Death Hamilton
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Hamilton Park Cemetery
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

John Thomas Matheson, known as Thomas, was born on 24 June 1890 at Timaru, the older son of Alexander and Julia (née Callaghan) Matheson. He was baptised Roman Catholic on 27 July 1890 at Timaru. In 1897 Thomas and his sister Catherine spent a few months at Berwick School in Otago, the family living at Maungatua, his father’s home district. From there Thomas and his sister went to the Roman Catholic School in Timaru, transferring to Gleniti School in 1898, and joined there by Mary and Alexander junior. Little Mary died in 1900, just 8 years old, while a pupil at Gleniti. Thomas left at the age of fourteen to go out to work, becoming a fireman with NZ Railways. By 1914 he had been transferred to Taihape and in 1916 he was listed on the Reserve Roll at Ohakune Junction.

Private J. T. Matheson embarked by the “Athenic” on 13 June 1918 with the 39th Reinforcements, headed for Liverpool. He had nominated his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs J. Matheson, Rosebrook, Gleniti, Timaru. Pte. J. T. Matheson, Gleniti, returned to New Zealand by the “Mamari” which was scheduled to arrive at Auckland on 18 August 1919.

On 23 November 1921 at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Timaru, John Thomas Matheson married Ethel Mary Sedgwick. His brother Alex was best man. Thomas died on 2 September 1958 at Hamilton, aged 68, and was buried in the Hamilton Park Cemetery.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [16 July 2021]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [16 July 2021]; School Admission records (Dunedin & South Canterbury branches NZSG) [19 July 2021]; Hamilton Park Cemetery burial record (Hamilton City Council) [17 July 2021]; Sun, 8 August 1919, Timaru Herald, 10 December 1921 (Papers Past) [16 & 17 July 2021]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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