KILLED LONDON BLITZ BRITISH ARMY LONG SERVICE & GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL PTE MELTON
$80.00
SOLD
Offered is an Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (G.V), impressed named 1412586. PTE. H.R. MELTON. C OF M.P. comes with copies M.I.C. medal rolls, Royal Artillery attestation extract, marriage certificate, 1911 and 1939 census, Commonwealth War Graves certificate.
Private Horace Raymond Melton was born in 1898 at Woolwich. The Royal Artillery attestations book shows that he enlisted on the 13/5/1916 at Woolwich to the Regular Army with his occupation being Grocers Assistant. The book shows his service number as 173164 and 1412586 (The Army renumbered everyone with a new 7-digit number in 1920 this also signifies that his records will still exist at the M.O.D.) However, the M.I.C and 1914-15 Star roll shows that he landed in France 21/3/1915 with the service number 389 as a Driver with the 47th Division (2nd London) Ammunition Column.
It is believed that he was probably a Territorial who joined the regular army as the 2nd London Division was a formation of the Territorial Force. The Royal Artillery attestations book enlistment date of May 1916 is marked R (Regular) and he had been soldiering in France for over a year as a 17-year-old. He re-enlisted post-war to serve until 1925 and transferred to the Military Mounted Police 1/4/1921. He was still serving 17/2/1930 when he married in Surrey, his Profession listed as H.M. Forces.
The 1939 census records him living in Woolwich working as a ‘Stores keeper’ (Fitter and fasteners?).
WW2 The Blitz on London: On 7/9/1940 Melton was working as a civilian in the Royal Arsenal when he was killed during the raid on the Arsenal.
7/8—9-40: The Great Dockland Raid on Saturday afternoon (4.3Opm—6.15pm) followed by all night raid (8.3Opm—4.48am). About 50 men were killed at Woolwich Arsenal. Enormous conflagrations. Arsenal hit by about 100 HEs & thousands of incendiary bombs. 87 other fires in Greenwich & Woolwich boroughs, including Woolwich Dockyard, Siemens Bros, Commonwealth Buildings, Delta Metal Co. 12 large fires still out of control at the Arsenal at midnight.
Also entitled to the 1914 - 15 Star, British War and Victory Medal.
