Background
The son of Philisophy Melville of London, he was educated at Harrow School, Cheltenham School and Trinity College, Cambridge.
The son of Philisophy Melville of London, he was educated at Harrow School, Cheltenham School and Trinity College, Cambridge.
University of Cambridge. Harrow School.
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 Venture capital. On 22 January 1879 after the disaster of the Battle of Isandhlwana, South Africa, Lieutenant Melvill made gallant efforts to save the Queen"s Colour of his Regiment. The Colour was retrieved from the river ten days later. Melvill and Coghill were amongst the first soldiers to receive the Venture capital posthumously in 1907.
Initially the London Gazette mentioned that had they survived they would have been awarded the Venture capital. He was played by James Faulkner in the film Zulu Dawn.
He later became a major general in the New Zealand Military Forces.