Lieut Reginald Ernest Melly

• Age: 28
• From: Formby
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 20th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Reginald Ernest Melly was born in Formby in the third quarter of 1888, his birth was registered in the Ormskirk District. He was the son of Ernest Louis Melly and his wife Julia Florence (née Cadle). He was baptised on the 16th August 1888 in the Parish of Redcar, North Riding, Yorkshire. His parents address is shown as Freshfield, Formby, Lancashire and his father's occupation listed as a Merchant's clerk. His parents married on the 14th February 1884 in Guisborough, Yorkshire. Ernest was aged 24, residing in Dolgellau, N.Wales, father Charles Pierce, whilst Julia was aged 25, residing in Redcar, father Miles. They had four children. Reginald had older sisters Ellen Gladys, born in Dolgellau, Merionethshire, Wales, (at her baptism her father was described as a gentleman farmer), and Kathleen Louise, born in Formby, and a younger sister Nancy Florence, born in Meriden, Warwickshire. 

The 1891 Census shows the family are living at 1 Church Road, Formby. Reginald is 2 years of age, born in Formby and the youngest of three children. His father Ernest L. is recorded as a provision merchant born in Mossley Hill, Liverpool in 1860, whilst his mother recorded as Julia F. was born in Stockton, Durham in 1858. His two elder sisters are listed as Ellen G. born in Bala, Wales in 1885 and Cathleen(sic) born in Formby in 1887. There are also two servants, a cook and a nurse, listed at the property. 

The 1901 Census finds Reginald Ernest, aged 12, resident as a boarder at King Henry VIII School, Coventry. His parents with daughter Nancy, 3, are found at The Nurseries, Meriden, Warwickshire, where his father, 51, is a nurseryman/employer, and his mother is 52.  His older sisters are also away at school; Ellen, 16, is at the Collegiate School for Girls near Watford, Hertfordshire, and Kathleen, 14, at Edgbaston High School, Warwickshire.

Reginald sat his Law Examination (Intermediate Level) in 1908. He was further educated at Malvern College, and became a solicitor in 1911.

The 1911 Census shows Reginald Ernest as a boarder at Haytor, Chester Road, Northwood, Ruislip, Middlesex. He is now 22 years of age and is a solicitor’s articled clerk. He is living at the home of Josiah Rowell and his wife Mary Ann, their daughter Marion, niece Ada Marion and granddaughter Irene Eleanor.  

His parents are living in “Highbury Bank”, Berkswell Road, Meriden, with Kathleen, 24, and Nancy, 13. His father is still a nurseryman/employer, with his own business at home.  Ellen, 26 is staying with a number of Melly uncles and aunts in a 22-room house in Elmswood Road, Mossley Hill, Liverpool.  In 1912 Ellen married Arthur Leeper, a Church of Ireland clergyman, who served in France with the R.A. Chaplain’s Department.

He was an accomplished athlete and played hockey for Warwickshire, the Midlands and later Yorkshire and the North of England. He was also an Assistant Scoutmaster 1^st Sandal troop and District secretary of the Wakefield association. 

The 20^th King’s Battalion Diary records:

“At 4.45am prompt the attack was launched. Unfortunately, a thick mist prevailed and it was impossible to see more than 10 yards ahead. This continued until about 6 o’clock when it lifted slightly, but it was still too hazy and impossible to see what was happening 100 yards ahead. This being so, it was not surprising to find that the attacking waves were experiencing great difficulty in maintaining connection.”

At 6am, Lt. RE Melly, No.1 Company, reported that his men had taken the German Maltz Horn trench.

At 6.30am, 2/Lt. CP Moore reported that he had 150 men, 4 Stokes Mortars and 2 Lewis Guns, but he was the only officer. He also said that due to the fog, both his “flanks were in the air” i.e. he was not in contact with neighbouring troops.

At 9.10am, Moore was still not in contact at his flanks, and now he had only 75 men, he had sent out 2 patrols and neither not returned. Later Moore established communication with the French on his right.

Around 10.00am, 2/Lt Musker reported that he had just over a company with him, but his left flank was suffering from German machine gun fire. Later he reported that he had over 30 casualties from the machine gun fire. His flanks were also “in the air”. No contact was made with this party until the remnants returned around 9.30pm, all runners sent were killed or missing. The War Diary states that this group had: ”held the ground won all day, and this permitted the consolidation of the ground won on the Maltz Horn ridge with little interference from the enemy”.

Relief for 20/Kings had been planned for 11.00pm, but it was 5.00am on the 31st July before it took place, ending a tragic day for the Liverpool Pals.

Casualties for 20^th Battalion were 16 Officers and 357 Other Ranks

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July. 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone.

His death was reported in the Birmingham Daily Post on 07th August 1916: 

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

His death was reported in the Liverpool Echo on 07th August 1916.

"Roll of Honour. Casualties In Local Battalions".:

Keen at sports. Lieutenant R. E. Melly, King's (Liverpool Regiment), who was killed in action on the 30th ult., was educated at Malvern College, and was admitted a solicitor in 1911. He was a keen cricketer, and was well-known in Coventry and the Midlands as a left half hockey player, playing for Warwickshire and the Midlands, and later for Yorkshire and the North. He joined as a private in August, 1914, received his commission in February, 1915, and was promoted lieutenant in May, 1915.

Liverpool Daily Post 08th August 1916

LIEUTENANT R. E. MELLY

Lieutenant R. E. Melly King's (Liverpool Regiment), who was killed in action on the 30th ult, was educated at Malvern College, and was admitted as a solicitor in 1911. He was a keen cricketer, and was well known in Coventry and the Midlands as a left half hockey player, playing for Warwickshire and the Midlands, and later for Yorkshire and the North. He joined as a private in August 1914, received his commission in February 1915, and was promoted to Lieutenant in May 1915.

Subsequently the Liverpool Courier of 14th August 1916 reported:

Lieut. R.E. Melly, of the King's (Liverpool Regiment), who has been reported killed at the front. He joined the Liverpool "Pals" as a private, and received his commission in February last year.

Probate recorded as follows: 

MELLY Reginald Ernest of Wakefield a lieutenant in the 20th battalion King's (Liverpool) Regiment died 30th July 1916 on active military service in France. Probate, Wakefield, 6 November to Ernest Louis Melly gentleman £914 7s.

He is commemorated on a memorial tablet in the family church, St Lawrence’s, at Meriden Warwickshire, which states:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF LIEUT. REGINALD ERNEST MELLY, KING’S LIVERPOOL REGIMENT, KILLED IN ACTION NEAR GUILLEMONT IN FRANCE JULY 30TH 1916 AGED 28 YEARS. BONNE RENOMME VAUT MIEUX QUE CEINTURE DORE. (Good renown is worth more than a circlet of gold).

He is also remembered on the following War Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 23

Malvern College

King Henry VIII School Memorial

Solicitors and Articled Clerks Memorial, Holborn, London

Meridan War Memorial

St Helen’s Church, Sandal, Walton

Wakefield War Memorial

St Laurence Church, Meriden.

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