Sergeant, Royal Air Force
Born: August 24th 1908
Died: March 26th 1941
Age at Death: 32
Killed on active service, March 26th 1941
Jack was born in Brighton on 24 August 1908 to Clement Matthews, a motor engineer, and his wife Jessie (née Perrin), who was originally from Newfoundland in Canada. Jack worked as a bank clerk before the war, but this was clearly not exciting enough, and he opted to fly in his spare time. During the war he served with 612 Squadron, which conducted reconnaissance for Coastal Command.
In March 1941 he was returning to RAF Wick in a Whitley bomber after a search operation, but the plane overshot the airstrip and landed in the sea. The plane and crew were never recovered and are commemorated at the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial.