“Until The Day Breaks”
A wonderful reunion took place in May 2025, with grateful thanks to Liesl with the assistance of eBay,
We are lucky that people monitor Farsley items that appear on eBay. We have been fortunate to purchase or have donated several historic items from the auction platform, we are also registered as a Charity for placing auctions which has generated significant fundraising revenues
On 5th May 2025 however, something pretty remarkable happened.
A World War One Gold Victory Medal was listed on eBay, issued and inscribed to 113657 Corporal M.W. Lee. Corporal Lee is one of our five World War One fallen buried in the Rehoboth and listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission database as official War Graves.
Liesl Beckles (who is the Administrator for the wonderful “Farsley Memories Facebook Group”) purchased the medal and came across from Littleborough to present it to ourselves to be reunited with its holder and then given to us for safekeeping and display.
Corporal. Matthew William Lee served with the King's Own Scottish Borderers and Duke of Wellington's Regt in the 1890's before serving in the Royal Engineers during the Great War.
In France, his role involved quite a bit of cycling. He had reported sick in July 1916 when he realised he was routinely getting short of breath - sadly, the diagnosis was more serious than expected and Matthew William Lee was discharged the following month.
The prognosis was not good and he passed away on New Year's Eve 1916 aged 42 - he left a widow Casilla Lee (formerly Hutton) and two young step daughters (Emily and Olive Hutton). Matthew and Casilla were married at St. John’s Church, Farsley in 1911.
He was buried (in the area behind the Hainsworth Cross, running up to the Top Wall), in his official War Grave on 3rd January 1917, Plot No. B90, with his headstone inscribed “Until the day breaks”.
He lived at Albert Street and Bryan Street. At his date of death, Matthew and his family were resident at High Bank Street, Farsley, close to Sunny Bank Mills. Their home is still there.
On Friday 23rd May, Liesl and family visited the Rehoboth, placed flowers on Matthew’s grave and handed the medal across for our safekeeping and display – many, many thanks.
We also received a copy of Matthews Medal Index card which showed he was also awarded the War Medal and the 1914-15 Star (he was posted to France in September 1915), We sourced replica copies of these two medals and a plaque to complete a full set.
The medals are now framed and will be featured in our 2026 forthcoming exhibition at Abbey House Museum.
An all weather framed photograph of the set is also in place at the foot of Corporal Lee’s War Grave.
