Relf awarded Military Medal (1918)

Post date: May 01, 2014 5:21:44 PM

Extract from Kent Messenger of 14th December 1918

Sergt. Matt Relf (Wateringbury),

Royal West Surrey Regiment.

AWARDED THE MILITARY MEDAL.

21453 Sergt. Matt Relf, 10th Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment, only son of Mr. M. Relf, of Dean Street, Tovil, and brother of Mrs. William Taylor, of Hever Gardens, Maid­stone, has been awarded the Military Medal¹, in recognition of—as the Major General com­manding his, division says—“the fine leader­ship and marked initiative which he displayed on September 29th-30th during the operations near Comines²." An old Watering­bury School boy and a former member of the Boys Brigade, Sergt. Relf was employed as a

clerk at the offices of Messrs. Frederick Leney and Sons, Ltd., brewers, Wateringbury, before he joined the West Kent Yeomanry in February, 1916. In the following August he went to the Front, when he was transferred to the Queen’s. He was home on leave in March last.

Mathew Relf was the son of Mathew and Elizabeth Relf born in Maidstone in 1891 and living at the time of the 1901 census at Phoenix Cottages, Wateringbury Road, Nettlestead. Mathew senior was described as a cellarman at the brewery. His siblings were Frank (born 1882), Elizabeth (born 1889) and Ellen (born 1893). He is one of 3 Relfs on the list of those serving in WW1, the others (Arthur and Harry Relf) being relatives but not siblings. See also Frederick Relf.

It is probable that Mathew was the Relf referred to in the 1916 Leney Board minutes.

Notes,

1. The Military Medal (M.M.), ranked below the D.C.M (Distinguished Conduct Medal), was awarded to Other Ranks for "acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire." It was established in 1916 but with some retrospective application. Over 115,000 were awarded in WW1. (source Wikipedia).

2. Comines. A town on the Franco-Belgian border.