Geburtsjahr: 1899

Geburtsort: Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia

Beruf: Lagerarbeiter

Land: Australia

Truppe: Australian Imperial Force

Rang: Private

Dienstnummer: 5449

Einberufung datum: 28/02/1916

Einberufung ort: Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia

Einheiten:  —  Australian Infantry, 17th Bn. (New South Wales)  (Letzte bekannte Einheit)

Sterbedatum: 20/09/1917

Sterbeort: Anzac, Zonnebeke, Belgien

Todesursache: Im Kampf gefallen

Alter: 18

British War Medal Medaille

Victory Medal Medaille

Private Walace Richard Meller was part of the 17th Battalion Australian Infantry, 5th Australian Brigade, 2nd Australian Division. His battalion took part in the Battle of the Menin Road on 20 September 1917 and was responsible for taking the third objective near Garter Point left of Polygon Wood. The two first objectives were taking successfully and the 17th Battalion moved up to the third objective, which was also taken successfully. Private Meller was first reported missing and later reported killed in action. The 17th Battalion A.I.F. suffered a few casualties going up to the second objective but it is most likely that Private Meller was killed taking the third objective. In his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File that 21 men of the 17th Battalion were buried during the night of the 20/21 September, from which only 5 were known by name. The others were buried as unknown Australian soldiers. They were buried in the vicinity of Anzac House. It could be possible that Walace was one of them.

17th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/34/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Verwendete Quellen

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, MELLER W R). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx Verwendete Quellen

MacKenzie K.W., The story of the seventeenth battalion A .I .F. : in the Great War 1914-1918, (Sydney, Shippin Newspapers, 1946), pp. 192-193. Verwendete Quellen

McCarthy Chris, Passchendaele : The Day-by-Day account, (London, Uniform, 2018), p 80-83. Verwendete Quellen

Red Cross Wounded and Missing File and Embarkation Roll https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=meller+5449 Verwendete Quellen

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1599687

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=b1e1ea6e-1c04-4166-bd46-84be870d8bb2

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7539708

The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=206217