Arthur George Mellor

Private, Honourable Artillery Company

Age 15, Class Remove B: 'Intelligent - is working very well.'

Arthur George Mellor was 19 years old when he joined the British Expeditionary Force in May 1915. He lived at 244 Barry Road, East Dulwich with his parents, Samuel and Janet, and his brother, William. Before the war, Arthur was a student at Alleyn’s and studied at the school until 1914. After leaving, he quickly made the decision to join the British Expeditionary Force and he was posted to the Honourable Artillery Company after being found as fit for service. Arthur was stationed at home for his first year of service before being transferred to the Western Front where he served in France from November 1916. Arthur served with the HAC until suffering from a gunshot wound to his little finger in February 1917. He returned home to England for a brief spell after the incident and in 1918 was back in the field. It was during this time that hedecided to transfer from the Artillery to the Royal Air Force. By the end of 1918, he had been transferred from 1^st Battalion to the RAF cadet unit back in England where he trained with No. 5 Cadet Wing. Arthur remained attached to the unit until the end of the war. For his service in wartime, he received the British War and Victory medal.