Teignmouth MelvillVC (8 September 1842 – 22 January 1879) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
On 22 January 1879 after the disaster of the Battle of Isandhlwana, South Africa, Lieutenant Melvill made efforts to save the Queen's Colour of his regiment. He and Nevill Josiah Aylmer Coghill were pursued by Zulu warriors and after experiencing great difficulty in crossing the swollen Buffalo River, during which time the Colour was lost and carried downstream, the two men were overtaken by the enemy and following a short struggle both were killed. The Colour was retrieved from the river ten days later.[3]
Melvill and Coghill were amongst the first soldiers to receive the VC posthumously in 1907. Initially the London Gazette mentioned that had they survived they would have been awarded the VC.[4]
McGibbon, Ian, ed. (2000). The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History. Auckland, New Zealand: Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-558376-0.
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January 07, 2023
teignmouth, melvill, polo, player, teignmouth, philip, melvill, september, 1842, january, 1879, english, recipient, victoria, cross, highest, most, prestigious, award, gallantry, face, enemy, that, awarded, british, commonwealth, forces, photo, melvill, circa,. For the polo player see Teignmouth Philip Melvill Teignmouth Melvill VC 8 September 1842 22 January 1879 was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces Teignmouth MelvillPhoto of Melvill circa 1877Born8 September 1842Marylebone LondonDied22 January 1879 aged 36 Buffalo River South AfricaBuriedFugitive s Drift below Itchiane HillAllegiance United KingdomService wbr branchBritish ArmyYears of service1865 1879 RankLieutenantUnit24th Regiment of FootBattles warsAnglo Zulu War Battle of IsandhlwanaAwardsVictoria CrossRelationsCharles Melvill son Philip Sandys Melvill brother Discovery of the bodies of Lieutenant Melvill and Lieutenant Coghill Contents 1 Details 2 The medal 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksDetails Edit Memorial to Mellvill and Coghill The son of Philip Melvill he was educated at Harrow School Cheltenham School and Trinity College Cambridge 1 He was a contributor to Baily s Magazine of Sports amp Pastimes under the name Green Facings He was 36 years old and a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion 24th Regiment of Foot later The South Wales Borderers British Army during the Anglo Zulu War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC 2 On 22 January 1879 after the disaster of the Battle of Isandhlwana South Africa Lieutenant Melvill made efforts to save the Queen s Colour of his regiment He and Nevill Josiah Aylmer Coghill were pursued by Zulu warriors and after experiencing great difficulty in crossing the swollen Buffalo River during which time the Colour was lost and carried downstream the two men were overtaken by the enemy and following a short struggle both were killed The Colour was retrieved from the river ten days later 3 Melvill and Coghill were amongst the first soldiers to receive the VC posthumously in 1907 Initially the London Gazette mentioned that had they survived they would have been awarded the VC 4 He was played by James Faulkner in the film Zulu Dawn 5 Teignmouth Philip Melvill 1877 1951 polo player and Charles Melvill 1878 1925 a major general were his sons 6 The medal EditHis Victoria Cross is displayed at the Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh in Brecon Powys Wales Notes Edit Welch R Courteney 1911 The Harrow School Register 1800 1911 2nd edition Teignmouth Melvill 24th Regiment Victoria Cross 1879 No 27986 The London Gazette 15 January 1907 p 325 No 24717 The London Gazette 2 May 1879 p 3178 IMDB McGibbon 2000 p 316 References EditMcGibbon Ian ed 2000 The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History Auckland New Zealand Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 558376 0 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Teignmouth Melvill Teignmouth MELVILL of Cheltenham College Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Teignmouth Melvill amp oldid 1093234438, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
