Richard Bartlett Mellard

He was the son of and Annie Beatrice and the late Robert Bartlett Mellard. In 1911 Richard was living with his mother at 'Brampton' Huntingdon Drive The Park Nottingham. She had later moved to 'Oman Mansions' Oman Road Hampstead London. Richard Bartlett Mellard came from a well-known and long established family in the Potteries, Newcastle-under-Lyme. His father was four times mayor of Newcastle, his grandfather had twice been mayor and his uncle was also mayor. By the time he arrived at Nottingham High School his father was dead and his mother was next of kin. He had previously been a pupil at Newcastle High School.

Richard played for the Nottingham High School First XI football team.

He served with 5th Bn North Staffordshire regiment

He emigrated to Winnipeg in Canada to farm, though by the time he enlisted as a private in the Fort Garry Horse in Canada on 24th September 1914 he was listed in his attestation papers as a salesman. He went to France with 1st Canadian Expeditionary Force, but was commissioned into 5th North Staffordshires on 10th August 1915. He went over the top on 1st July 1916 with the 5th and was killed close to the German wire. His body lay out in No Man’s Land until March 1917 when it was discovered and buried in an impromptu graveyard in No Man’s Land with many other fallen Staffords. At the end of the war these graves were moved to Gommecourt Wood New Cemetery, Foncquevillers, a concentration cemetery where large numbers of bodies were brought and re-buried. Unfortunately, they were unable to identify Mellard’s body and so it is believed to be buried there and is commemorated by a special memorial. He also has a Memorial in St George’s Church, Newcastle-under-Lyme. The text of the memorial reads: In Most Loving Memory of DICK MELLARD 2nd Lieutenant North Staffordshire Regiment and previously in the Fort Garry Horse, Winnipeg only son of Richard Bartlett & Beatrice Mellard and only grandson of Ralph and Anne Mosley of this town Killed in action leading his bombing platoon at Gommecourt July 1st 1916 aged 22 He died for Englands sake “He died the noblest death a man may die, fighting for God and Right and liberty and such a death is immortality”. Mellard’s actions and role are dealt with in my summary of the 46th North Midland Division at Gommecourt on 1st July 1916, gleaned from “A Lack of Offensive Spirit?” by Alan MacDonald. Well worth a more in depth look. Evidently at some point after his fathers death his mother moved to Penn in Buckinghamshire, if only for a short period, as his name also appears on the memorial at Holy Trinity Penn.