Continuing with our stories from the local papers from 100 years ago we came across this story of a Pendlebury man who was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal for single-handedly capturing a German officer in combat.
Lance Corporal Matthew Southern who lived at St Mary’s Street, Pendlebury, was serving with the Ninth Loyal Lancashire Regiment.
He came from a family of fighters; his two brothers Herbert and James were also serving in France in the Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment in Salonika and in the 17th Lancashire Fusiliers respectively.
In a letter home to his parents he explained how this honour came about.
“You will be proud to know that I have been recommended for a D.C.M. and I expect that I shall get it, the officer seems to have great faith in that I shall get it, and if I do, I get fourteen days home leave, it will be a great honour for me.
“I am quite well apart from a few scratches that I had the honour of receiving last night.
“I got into a right good ‘scrap’ and came back safe and sound with a German officer who didn’t put up much resistance and came very quietly, with his hands above his head shouting. ‘me surrender kamerad’
“I treated him just as I would have liked to have been treated if I was in his place, and he was very grateful.
“We captured nine prisoners in all and everything was done in a proper way, but there is nothing like the dear old home where everything is peaceful and quiet, and it would be great if all my brothers were with me”
We learn that Matthew Southern was employed at the Clifton Hall Colliery before joining the army and had passed his firemans certificate, his father Thomas Southern was also employed at the colliery as a check-weighman.
Strangely enough when we trawled through the army records we came across a Sergeant Matthew Southern who also was in the Ninth Loyal Lancashire Regiment, however his age is given as 33 and he is recorded as being killed in action on the 16 February 1916 in Mesoptamia.
However on looking at the photgraphs it becomes apparent that they are two different people, but what a coincidence, two men from roughly the same area, with the same name, serving in the same regiment.
So did Lance Corporal Matthew Southern get awarded the medal he had so longed for, I have looked on various sites and can find no record of him receiving one, I do hope that I am wrong and also that this man survived the war and did indeed come back safely to “the dear old home where everything is peaceful and quiet”.
