Matthew Charles Sykes (SN 2245) born at Clunes, was a 29 year old mount cutter when he enlisted at Geelong on March 8th 1915, under the name Charles Matthew Symonds. He embarked aboard the Wandilla on June 17th and in August he landed at Gallipoli as a reinforcement for the 6th Infantry Battalion. Two weeks later he suffered a back wound and was evacuated to Mudros and then to Egypt. He was able to rejoin his unit in November for the final month of the Gallipoli campaign. He moved on to France in April 1916 where he would be wounded on three more occasions. In January 1917 he was transferred to the 2nd Light Trench Mortar Battery and in September he declared his true name. As the war was drawing to an end, while recovering from wounds in England, he was transferred to the Australian Postal Corps. He returned home aboard the Nestor, disembarked on December 15th 1919 and was discharged on March 14th 1920.

His brother Leslie also served in the AIF and is honoured with a tree in the Avenue.

Lucas’s Staffs Appreciation of Brave Men, the original Avenue register, records his name as Mat. Sykes