Rededication Service for Sergeant Arthur Melvin, Canadian Infantry, held at Bois-Carré British Cemetery

A Rededication Service for Sergeant Arthur Melvin, Canadian Infantry, was held at CWGC Bois-Carré British Cemetery, Thélus, France on 30 October 2024

Arthur Melvin was born on 3 June 1887, in Udny, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was the son of James and Helen Wallace Melvin. Arthur emigrated to Canada shortly after 1901. In May 1915, Arthur Melvin enlisted in the 56th Bn. Canadian Infantry. By June 1916, following training in England, he was transferred to the 31st Bn. where he was promoted to Sergeant on 1 October 1916. 

On 9 April 1917, the 31st Bn. took part in the Arras Offensive as part of the 1917 Battles of Arras. The battalion was to launch an attack, capture Thélus and continue the advancement. The battalion fought its way through the ruins of Thélus, where it faced heavy resistance. A Company captured the western part of the village by 10am, followed by B Company. C Company, with whom Sergeant Melvin was serving, were clearing the eastern part of the village when they came under intense small-arms and artillery fire. As D company pushed forth, sporadic fighting in the village continued throughout the day. 15 members of the 31st Bn. had been killed. A further 69 were wounded, and six – including Sergeant Melvin – could not be accounted for. He had been killed by a shell, aged 29 years old.

A dedicated member of the public proposed the identification of an unidentified Sergeant of the 31st Bn. Canadian Infantry who died on 9 April 1917 buried at CWGC’s Bois-Carré British Cemetery. The original enquirer believed that grave I.C.2. was in fact that of Sergeant Melvin, of the 31st Bn. Canadian Infantry.

Through extensive research by CWGC and the Canadian service authorities it was possible – based on a process of elimination using rank, battalion, and place of burial – to ascertain that there was clear and convincing evidence linking Sergeant Arthur Melvin to the unidentified grave. Sergeant Melvin was the only Sergeant of the battalion to still be missing from the Bois-Carré area and matched the known date of death.

Sergeant Melvin’s name was engraved on the Vimy Memorial along with the other members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force missing in France. His name will remain on the memorial as it is a historic record and an important part of the memorial’s living history. With his newly identified headstone, the CWGC will continue to care for Sergeant Melvin’s, alongside his comrades, in perpetuity.