The son of
Philip Melvill, he was educated at
Harrow School,
Cheltenham School and
Trinity College, Cambridge. He was a contributor to ''
Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes'' under the name 'Green Facings.' He was 36 years old, and a
lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot (2nd Warwickshires),
British Army during the
Anglo-Zulu War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 22 January 1879 after the disaster of the
Battle of Isandhlwana,
South Africa, Lieutenant Melvill made efforts to save the
Queen's Colour of his regiment. He and
Nevill Josiah Aylmer Coghill were pursued by Zulu warriors and after experiencing great difficulty in crossing the swollen
Buffalo River, during which time the Colour was lost and carried downstream, the two men were overtaken by the enemy and following a short struggle both were killed. The Colour was retrieved from the river ten days later. Melvill and Coghill were amongst the first soldiers to receive the VC posthumously in 1907. Initially
The London Gazette mentioned that had they survived they would have been awarded the VC. He was played by
James Faulkner in the film
Zulu Dawn.
Teignmouth Philip Melvill (1877–1951) polo player, and
Charles Melvill (1878–1925) a major general, were his sons. ==The medal==