Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

UNIT NUMBER 5857 One of six children born to Michael and Edith Flemming, Melville was born in 1897 at Quindalup. We don’t know a lot about the Flemming family except that they were farmers; but we pick up the story of Melville when he is an almost six foot tall 18 year old, when he travels to Busselton to enlist for service in WW1. The date was April 16 1916. Although underage, Melville was one of the boys to go to war with their parents’ permission. Training at Blackboy Hill was quite an extended affair for Melville, spending five months there from mid April to mid October before being sent off overseas aboard the troop transport ship HMAT A23 “Suffolk”. He would have likely celebrated his 19th birthday aboard ship as they sailed for Plymouth, England. Melville was unwell on arrival at Plymouth on December 2 and sent to hospital with suspected mumps. He was discharged just before Christmas Eve. But he was not to enjoy his first cold Yule Tide for long as he found himself aboard the S S “Princess Clementine” on December 21 and heading to France to join the 16th Battalion, 16th Reinforcements. Arriving to a bitter winter and a cold Christmas, Melville settled into life in the wet, cold and muddy trenches around Fleur. May 1917 found Melville back in hospital again suffering from severe vertigo. This caused him to be shipped back to England for treatment at the War Hospital, Bath and it was to be six months before he was posted back to France on November 19 1917. Another long and bitterly cold winter was to be endured, where the battalion was wintered in Belgium. The spring of 1918 saw the battalion sent to the Somme in readiness for the German spring offensive. They defended the line around Villiers-Brettoneux in March and April, and May found them supporting the 6th Brigades’ attack on Ville-sur-Ancre. There was a brief lull in June and July but in August the Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive with the 28th engaged in fighting around Villiers-Brettoneux again. October came and the 28th was charged with capturing the Amiens-Perrone railway bridge. It was here on October 3 1918 that Melville was wounded. He suffered a gunshot wound to the face and was sent to the 1st Australian General Hospital. By the end of November he was stable enough to be transferred to the Exeter War Hospital back in England, and from here he received a leave pass of three weeks over the Christmas/New Year period and returned to hospital on January 2 1919. His transport home was arranged, and leaving from the south coast of England, Melville boarded the HT “Ascaneus” on February 9. Being unwell on the journey he was put ashore in Port Said on February 24 and again hospitalised. Staying under treatment for a further two months he boarded the HT “City of Poona” on April 9 and arrived back in Albany on May 7, 1919. At last his war was over. But he had arrived home in time for the dance that the Margaret River community held to welcome back the boys from war. It was reported to be the best attendance at any dance previously held. Post war, Melville settled down to life and work at Palgarup, near Manjimup. He was a horse driver for the timber mill and later worked as a guard on the railways. In 1925 he married Ellen Reeve. They had three children and later had 12 grandchildren. Melville again enlisted for war in WW11 in 1942. Melville was always a gentleman. Well dressed and with a happy, jolly disposition. He loved driving his Wolesley with the wood grain dashboard and this transported him to all the card games he so loved to play. Melville retired to Manjimup where he died on August 20 1969. He and Ellen are buried in the Manjimup Cemetery and there is a plaque on the wall to commemorate him. 1914/15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal