Not Forgotten, 1078 Lieutenant Matthew Allison SCOULER, 8 Machine Gun Company, , World War 1

Mathew Scouler was born in Northam, the son of Robert McGregor Scouler and Isabella Allison Scouler of Blantyre Farm, Dowerin. He had been a Junior Cadet from the time he was old enough to join and later a Senior Cadet. He won a scholarship to Scotch College at the age of 12 and went on to be a member of the shooting team and a prefect in 1911 and 1912 and secured Junior and Senior Exhibitions as the result of the Adelaide University Exams.

Matthew Scouler was a much-respected teacher at Scotch College in Claremont before enlisting on 12 August 1915 at Perth aged 22 and went to Blackboy Hill for training, embarking at Fremantle on H.M.A.T. A2 Geelong in November 1915 with the 32nd Battalion. The 32nd Battalion was raised as part of the 8th Brigade at Mitcham, on the outskirts of Adelaide, on 9 August 1915. Only two companies were raised from South Australian enlistees – another two were formed in Western Australia and joined the battalion at the end of September. The battalion sailed from Adelaide on 18 November 1915.

Scouler disembarked in Suez and was transferred from the 32nd Battalion to the 8th Machine Gun Company assigned to 8th Infantry Brigade, early in 1916. The Machine Gun Companies were formed in February 1916 from the four battalion machine gun sections in each brigade. Each was equipped with 16 Vickers Machine Guns. They bore the same numbers as the brigades of which they were part, and usually had the same state affiliation. Matthew Scouler was sent to France and promoted to Corporal later in 1916 and was sent to the Machine Gun School at Bisley in England in 1917.

On Australia Day 1918 Lieutenant Scouler was sent back to France. On 16 April that year he was promoted to lieutenant and killed in action. Lieutenant Scouler was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Matthew Scouler was buried in the village churchyard at Aubigny, his brother Captain JJS Scouler arranged and was present at the burial service and wrote to his parents describing the grave as close to the church and beside an English Corporal.

His company erected a cross on the grave and a French officer remarked at the time “Il est tombe pour l’Australie et pour La France” (He has fallen for Australia and for France). In 1919 Lieutenant Scouler was re-interred in the Adelaide British Cemetery, 2.5 miles south of Corbie.

Matthew Scouler’s brother Alexander Peter Scouler (1077) also served in the 5th Machine Gun Battalion and returned to Australia in December 1918; his brother Captain John James Scouler served in 1 ANZAC Cyclists Battalion and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre.