James Matthews

Bank: The National Bank

Place of work: Middleton branch

Died: May 1918

James Patrick Matthews was born in Ireland on 18 February 1890, the son of a farmer and his wife. In January 1910, when he was 19 years old, he went to work for The National Bank.

Matthews worked initially as a probationer at the bank's Birr branch, moving to its Midleton branch in March 1912. There he was described as being 'of good intelligence, attentive to his work, which is well done'.

In April 1915 Matthews resigned from the bank and was temporarily commissioned into the Royal Naval Reserve. He died in May 1918. He was 28 years old.

James Matthews is commemorated on a bank war memorial at the Royal Bank of Scotland London Cavendish Square branch.