Lieutenant-Colonel M.E. Melvill
7th/9th Battalion, Royal Scots

Later, Melvill, coming up to assess the situation was hit while shouting across the floods to Major Rose; he fell, badly wounded, and his signaller was killed. Hoisting himself up in the water he shouted, ‘On the Royals!’

(Gerard Rawling, Cinderella Operation, 1980, 94)

Born on 14 February 1910 in Knutsford, Cheshire, Michael Ernest Mevill was a commissioned officer in the Royal Scots since 1930.  He was promoted to captain in 1938. He assumed command of the 7th/9th Battalion, Royal Scots in the 52nd Division, which deployed to Belgium in October 1944. Mevill was severely wounded by a sniper at Walcheren.

After Melvill was evacuated, Lieutenant-Colonel J.G. Dawson took command of the 7/9th Royal Scots). After the war, Melvill was awarded the Order of the British Empire and commanded the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots in Korea in 1954 after the armistice. He afterwards retired from the regular army but was active in the Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Association.

Melvill died on 23 November 1983 in Edinburgh.