During The First World War communication between troops in the front line and the rear was a major problem. Communication usually relied upon visual signals, runners or the telephone. The use of visual signals and runners was extremely dangerous during periods of action, when anyone exposing themselves was subject to enemy fire. The telephone was the most effective means of communication when lines were working, but during fighting these were regularly cut by shellfire. The 1st Monmouths experienced this problem acutely on 8th May during The Second Battle of Ypres. Facing attacks from their front and on their right flank, The Monmouths were in a desperate situation, cut off from both their artillery and their headquarters.
Rifleman John Healey of D Company of The First Battalion of The Monmouthshire Regiment wrote to Mr and Mrs Ray of 87 Lime Street Newport and described an incident from that day:
“I am writing to you on behalf of my comrades and myself regarding your son, Melville. We were in the trenches on Saturday last and were shelled from early in the morning till nearly noon. We then had the order to stand to as the Germans were advancing, and Melville was with me. The next I saw of him was when he came back to Captain Stanton and reported that the wires were broken, which I think connected us to the artillery and Melville asked him if he should go and repair them. Off he went under a heavy shellfire. So heavy was the fire that our men were being killed in the trenches and for Melville to go out where there was no shelter was an exceptionally brave act. That was the last that we saw of him and he now is reported as missing, but we still have hope that he may be among those in hospital, in which case you will hear from him very soon. If you do will you kindly drop us a line as we are most anxious to hear about him for he was one of our best pals, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”
Melville was undoubtedly a popular figure amongst his comrades and to go out into the open amongst a hail of machine bullets and shellfire was an act of the utmost bravery. He was 20 and before leaving with the first drafts from Newport in August 1914, had been employed as a tu-boat worker. He was already well known in the locality and had gained himself a reputation as a singer and amateur boxer. He was the son of Cooper Ray, a dock labourer, and Ethel Ray and as a child had lived at 50 Alexandra Road, Newport.
The South Wales Argus of 25 May reported Ray as missing. However, Melville was to survive the war. The week after he was reported missing his parents received a postcard which informed them that Melville, “had had the good fortune to stop a couple of bullets and got captured.” The card was from Diakonen Austalt, Duisberg, Germany and Melville was to spend the next three and a half years as a prisoner of war.
Melville was clearly a person of initiative, with a spirit of adventure, which perhaps helps to explain his enlistment in the Territorial Army before the outbreak of war. This spirit was not destroyed by his experience in the war or his period of captivity. On 12th July 1920 he left Liverpool on board the RMS Corsican en route to Canada, where he lived for nearly three years. However, he was not to see out his life there and he emigrated to the USA in April 1923 and it was here that he died on 3rd May 1970 at Santa Clara,California.
Rifleman Healey also survived the war.
Guided Battlefield Tours organise fully guided tours to Ypres, see: www.guidedbattlefieldtours.co.uk
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Posted by: dagens erbjudande | November 29, 2011 at 01:02 AM