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Thomas Hindson Mellish
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 05/09/1894 |
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Place of birth: Carlisle, Cumberland, England, United Kingdom |
General information
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Profession: Teacher |
Army information
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Country: England, United Kingdom |
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Force: British Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Serjeant |
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Service number: 270876 |
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Enlistment date: 04/03/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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Units: — Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment), 16th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 22/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Six Roads, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot Memorial Panel: 11 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal — 06/10/1920 |
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Victory Medal Medal — 06/10/1920 |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Thomas Hindson Mellish was a twenty-three-year-old teacher from Carlisle, Cumberland, who fell during the Battle of Passchendaele. The young man enlisted in Glasgow in 1915. By October 1917 he served as a Serjeant in the 16th Battalion Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment), part of the 101st Brigade, of the 34th Division.
Between 13 and 23 October 1917 the 34th Division was engaged in the fighting for the Broenbeek stream. These engagements were part of the Battle of Passchendaele. On 20 October 1917 the 16th Royal Scots moved into the front line in anticipation of an attack. The Battalion held a line of organised shell hole positions running from Aden House to Turenne Crossing and to Colibri Farm. The conditions in the line were appalling. The weather was bad and many shell holes were filled with water. Throughout the following days the 16th Royal Scots were frequently shelled by the German artillery.
On 22 October at 5.35 a.m. the 34th Division attacked with two Brigades. The attack of the 101st Brigade was carried by the 15th and 16th Royal Scots. But the attack didn’t go as planned. The right Companies of the 16th Royal Scots were quickly pinned down at the Huts east of Turenne Crossing. The Companies on the left reached Six Roads, where they in turn came under heavy machine-gun fire. Unable to advance any further and with their right flank up in the air, the men at Six Roads were forced to retreat to Egypt House.
The whole attack had been in vain. The German defences had withstood the blow and little headway was made. Casualties in the Battalion were high. Serjeant Thomas Hindson Mellish, barely twenty-three-years old, went missing during the attack on Six Roads and was later reported killed in action. His remains were not recovered or were never identified. As he has no known grave Thomas is remembered on panel 11 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Between 13 and 23 October 1917 the 34th Division was engaged in the fighting for the Broenbeek stream. These engagements were part of the Battle of Passchendaele. On 20 October 1917 the 16th Royal Scots moved into the front line in anticipation of an attack. The Battalion held a line of organised shell hole positions running from Aden House to Turenne Crossing and to Colibri Farm. The conditions in the line were appalling. The weather was bad and many shell holes were filled with water. Throughout the following days the 16th Royal Scots were frequently shelled by the German artillery.
On 22 October at 5.35 a.m. the 34th Division attacked with two Brigades. The attack of the 101st Brigade was carried by the 15th and 16th Royal Scots. But the attack didn’t go as planned. The right Companies of the 16th Royal Scots were quickly pinned down at the Huts east of Turenne Crossing. The Companies on the left reached Six Roads, where they in turn came under heavy machine-gun fire. Unable to advance any further and with their right flank up in the air, the men at Six Roads were forced to retreat to Egypt House.
The whole attack had been in vain. The German defences had withstood the blow and little headway was made. Casualties in the Battalion were high. Serjeant Thomas Hindson Mellish, barely twenty-three-years old, went missing during the attack on Six Roads and was later reported killed in action. His remains were not recovered or were never identified. As he has no known grave Thomas is remembered on panel 11 of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 6
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"Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account", McCarthy C., London, Uniform, 2018, pg. 139-140. Sources used |
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Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/ Further reference |
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1635041/mellish,-thomas-hinason/ Sources used |
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The Long, Long Trail http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/ Sources used |
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Trinity School War Memorial https://www.trinity.cumbria.sch.uk/warmemorials/thomas-hindson-mellish/ Sources used |
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War Diary Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment), 16th Bn. http://www.nmarchive.com/ Further reference |