Major General Albert Bruce Matthews (August 12, 1909 – September 12, 1991) was a senior Canadian Army officer and businessman in the 1930s. He rose to be the General Officer Commanding (GOC)

2nd Canadian Infantry Division The 2nd Canadian Division, an infantry division of the Canadian Army, was mobilized for war service on 1September 1939 at the outset of World War II. Adopting the designation of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, it was initially composed of vo ...

during the Second World War, after campaigns in Sicily and Italy. He became noted for his personal bravery and the accuracy and reliability of the artillery under his command. Post-war, his business career continued. In addition, he was active in the Canadian Liberal Party.

Early life

Born 1909, his father, Albert Edward Matthews, was a prominent

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks an ...

with Liberal connections who became

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of Ontario in 1937. Bruce Matthews was educated at Upper Canada College in Toronto, later serving as President of its Board of Governors, and at University of Geneva. He then joined the family firm. Matthews married Victoria Thorne in 1937; the couple had one child before the outbreak of war and, after Victoria had visited Matthews in Britain in summer 1940, there were twins in 1941, although Matthews did not see them until October 1945.

Military career

At first, in 1927, Matthews, was turned down for admission to the Royal Military College of Canada and he was also rejected by the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve due to his

colour blindness Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. It can impair tasks such as selecting ripe fruit, choosing clothing, and reading traffic lights. Color blindness may make some aca ...

. Nevertheless, in 1928, he joined the Non-Permanent Active Militia, 30th Field Battery, 3rd Field Brigade, Royal Canadian Artillery, as a provisional lieutenant, qualifying as a lieutenant later that year. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1933 and started a two-year militia staff course. In 1936, Matthews was appointed

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

in the 7th Toronto Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery and in 1938 he commanded the 15th Field Battery, as a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. The Second World War was declared in September 1939 and Matthews was posted overseas to the United Kingdom with the

1st Canadian Infantry Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

, then commanded by

Andrew McNaughton Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

, a fellow RCA gunner, in December. In the wartime army, Matthews rose steadily; commanding a

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

in March 1940, and, after becoming

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

of the

1st Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery The 1st Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery was one of six Canadian medium artillery regiments that served in the European Theatre of World War II. Medium regiments were armed with 5.5-inch and 4.5-inch guns. History The adjutant of the 1st ...

, then he raised the 5th Medium Regiment (as a lieutenant-colonel) in September 1941. After an appointment from September 1942 as counter battery officer at Headquarters,

I Canadian Corps I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War. History From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I C ...

, in January 1943 Matthews was promoted to brigadier at the age of 33, the youngest at that time in the Canadian Army, and Commander, Royal Artillery, (CRA) of the 1st Canadian Division, now commanded by Guy Simonds, another fellow gunner. Matthews' active service started in July 1943, landing in Sicily and directing the naval gunfire of HMS ''Roberts'' and later finding artillery locations, while under direct enemy fire, for the assault on Agira during the

Sicily campaign The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

. In September 1943, his Italian mainland campaign began: he was later awarded the DSO. He returned to the United Kingdom in January 1944, having been transferred to the II Canadian Corps as CCRA, regarded as the "second most senior job for a gunner in the Canadian forces". II Corps was activated in Normandy on July 11, 1944, over a month after the Normandy landings, and participated in several actions ( Operations ''Atlantic'', ''Spring'', ''Totalize'' and ''Tractable'') in the Battle of Normandy. Matthews developed the artillery firing plans for each of these operations. 1st Canadian generals

Matthews' coordination of the large-scale artillery support in Normandy and

Walcheren Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...

showed him to be a highly skilled gunner. In November 1944, due to Simonds recommending him, Matthews was promoted to major general and appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the

, after Charles Foulkes had been sent to Italy to command

. Matthews brought it back to high operational efficiency after its gruelling battles on the Scheldt. The division took part in the Rhineland battles ( Operations ''Veritable'' and ''Blockbuster'') battles in February and March 1945. The Division advanced from Kalkar, through the Hochwald and Xanten to Wesel, narrowly failing to prevent the demolition of the Rhine bridges by the retreating Germans. Once across the Rhine, Matthews' Division liberated the northern Netherlands and then made a rapid 150-mile move to guard XXX Corps' right flank on the Weser. The Canadians captured

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

and they were approaching Wilhelmshaven when hostilities ceased on May 5.

Post war

Forgoing a promising military career, Matthews returned to Canadian business life and he was appointed to directorships with Excelsior Life,

Dome Mines A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

and Standard Broadcasting. He was chairman of Massey Ferguson from April 19, 1978, to December 12, 1978, and president of the

Argus Corporation The Argus Corporation was an investment holding company based in Toronto, Ontario. During the 1960s and 1970s, it was the most powerful and best known conglomerate in Canada, at one time controlling the companies making up 10 percent of all shar ...

. In politics, he served as President of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He served as Colonel commandant of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery from 1964 to 1969. Matthews was considered for the post of Governor General but his strong party allegiance precluded him.

References

Bibliography

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External links

ObituaryJuno Beach Centre
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Bruce Military personnel from Ottawa University of Geneva alumni Upper Canada College alumni Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order 1909 births 1991 deaths Canadian Army generals of World War II Canadian Militia officers Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery officers Canadian generals