A I Matheson

(1899-1968)

Alistair Ian Matheson was born 21 Feb 1899 in Exeter, the youngest of seven children of Major (later Lt. Colonel) Duncan Matheson, at the time governor of Exeter prison, and his wife Clara.

In 1917, at the age of 18, he entered the first World War as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery.

After the war he worked as a commercial artist, and in 1924 he joined the animation team at New Era Films working on the Bonzo cartoon series. On 4 Oct 1924 he married Ethel Beatrice Gaskell (previously Oliver, late Hall, née Lloyd) the daughter of Colonel Malcolm Sabine Lloyd.

Ethel warrants a paragraph to herself. She was born in Burma in 1874, youngest of the nine children of Lt-Colonel Malcolm Lloyd, HM Madras Staff Corps, and his wife Louisa. When Ethel was 2 her father died, aged 45, and her mother brought the family back to England. In 1893, at the age of 19, Ethel married Sydney Hall, 24, whose father had been an officer in the 3rd Bengal Cavalry. Although her occupation is not given on the marriage certificate she was soon appearing on the stage under the name "Miss Ethel Sydney", appearing in the new wave of musical comedies initiated at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1895 she played the titular juvenile lead in The Shop Girl on Broadway. She had a son in 1898, and in 1903 she divorced Sidney Hall in order to marry Samuel Robinson Oliver, a gentleman of independent means. At this time she was appearing as 'Josephine Zaccary' in the musical comedy The Orchid at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1906 Ethel bore Sam a son who remained in his custody when they divorced in 1912. She immediately married John Upton Gaskell, a retired Captain in the Norfolk Regiment, and their son was born shortly after. At 38 Ethel was 10 years older than John, but she had by now knocked 2 years off her admitted age. When in 1924, having divorced Gaskell, she married Matheson she avoided giving her age, merely entering "of full age" (ie: over the age of consent) on the certificate, but it would seem she claimed to be 44, knocking 6 years off her true age. In fact she was, at 50, twice Matheson's age. It was her final marriage and the pair remained together until her death in November 1967.

The Bonzo series consisted of 26 films that were released on a fortnightly basis, and appeared from January 1925 to January 1926. Work on the series ended in 1925 and according to Brian White's account "Most of the staff dispersed to leave the film world for good." Matheson, however, continued to work in animation.

Generally known by his middle name, Ian, Matheson worked as an animator for SuperAds in 1930, and then for Publicity Pictures until he was called up for service in World War II.

In the 1939 Register, a census taken at the outbreak of WWII in order to issue identity papers and expedite conscription and the mobilization of labour, He gives his occupation as 'Artist & specialist in Animated Film Cartoons.' His rank of Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery (from 1918) is also noted.

According to Ken Clark, who I think got the story from Laurie Price, Matheson was made Films Liason Officer responsible to the Light Anti-Aircraft Division and promptly commissioned Publicity Pictures to make gunnery instructionals.

After the War he returned to Publicity Pictures, which continued to make training and public information films under the name National Interest Picture Productions.

For most of their married life Ian and Ethel had lived in the St John's Wood area of London. In 1952 they moved to a flat in Dorset Street, W1, near Marble Arch, where they spent the rest of their lives.

Alastair Ian Matheson died in early 1968, a few months after his wife.

Filmography

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