2nd Leut. Melvill Leopold 'Cuckoo' Melvill

He was admitted to the Jeppe School in January 1908 and left in December 1915. His parent is given as L F Melvill of 48 Karl Street Jeppestown.He was nicknamed Cuckoo. After school he joined the British Army as a Gunner with the Royal Field Artillery. He died near Ypres is buried at Popering in the Liessenhoek Cemetary in grave XX1 AA 16 in the British Military Cemetary. He was A Second Lieutenant in 108 Bty., Royal Field Artillery who died on Wednesday,31st October 1917. The Hazebrouck-Poperinghe railway line and the Poperinghe-Ypres road formed the main communication between the bases and the Flemish battlefields, and Lijssenthoek, lying close behind the extreme range of enemy shell-fire, was a natural position for clearing hospitals. There are now nearly 10,000 1914-1918 war casualties commemorated in this site. His Regiment No was 117718

7 months before he died, in a letter he writes:-

Officer Cadet School,

Brighton,

28th March, 1917

Dear Mr Vines,

           I expect you have heard that I am back in England, and Hope to get a commission in a very short time now. I returned at the beginning of he year, and had an excellent time while on leave before joining up. The winter has been exceptionally sever, and we had a fortnight’s skating. I enjoyed it immensely in spite of several falls.

I am going through practically the same as Mr Manduell did. I read a few extracts from his letters in the magazine. I was very much amused to think of him cleaning a window in the manner of an experienced old soldier.
I ran up against an Old Boy, D.R. Chapman, and we are still together. He left about 1908. He met Mr Manduell in Amiens a short while back.
Marr and I stuck together all the while, and I am hoping to rouse him sufficiently to make him apply for admission to one of these schools. They are very short of officers, and I am sure he would get in.
We were at Loos and on the Ancre during the big battle. The Tanks went into action past our guns, and it was a very weird spectacle. The mud, however, prevented them from being as effective as they might have been.
The night before I came back we were shelled out with gas-shells, and the three hours with the helmets on were about the worst I ever hope to spend. Unfortunately one shell blew the top of our dug-out on, and we had to extricate ourselves as best we could and get to the nearest gun-pit. The material damage was rather severe, but of the men only one was wounded and one gassed. I struck a very unfortunate detachment – of the eight men with the gun, we lost both N.C.O.’s and one gunner killed and three wounded. It was pretty rough work during the winter months. The guns were pounding away nearly all through.
The school does not seem to have done well in cricket this year. I hope they notch it up a football. I have played once or twice, but it was ragged and poor football. We have cross-country runs, which I enjoy if the pace is not to warm.
We had our share of excitement when we first went out on driving drill. We came out some really remarkable formations, and generally managed to carry away one or two gate-posts.
Mathematics in Artillery work is a wonderful subject. It generally of a string of long intricate formula of who’s the origin of which not one of the lectures seems to have any idea. The chief thing is that the answer is correct, and that’s all they worry about. Right angles, for instance, are any angles between 80 deg. And 110 deg.
Published by Jeppe school 1 Oct 2009

‘Cuckoo’ Melvill brought to life

One of Jeppe’s most famous families, the Melvill family, who had three brothers (Francis Leopold, Melvill “Cuckoo” and Bramley Leopold) and a sister (Piera) attend the Jeppe schools at the turn of the 20th century were recently contacted by the JBA to find out more about their time at Jeppe.

Melvill Leopold “Cuckoo” Melvill was the most famous of them all and is recognised as the first of the Jeppe legends.

By way of illustration and proof of this title, his achievements included:

• Playing 1st XI cricket from age 12 and scoring over 900 runs in a season and taking 10 wickets in a single match in the process

• Playing 1st XI soccer from age 13 and captaining the unbeaten 1st team when only 14 years of age

• Obtaining full colours for cricket, soccer, shooting and swimming

Cuckoo was widely predicted to obtain Springbok status but was tragically killed in World War I.

Michael Melvill is the grandson of the oldest brother, Francis Leopold Melvill, and has in his collection of family memories some PRICELESS Jeppe memorabilia which he is considering donating to the Jeppe museum provided his siblings approve thereof and they are displayed in a suitable cabinet befitting such a Jeppe legend.

The Melvills were a famous family in their own right – consider the fact that the suburb of Melville is named after them (despite the mis-spelling of Melville), a fact very few if any Jeppe boys know. In addition, Francis Leopold led the top-secret project to convert coal into oil and in the process became one of Sasol’s most prominent drivers.

The historical significance and importance to Jeppe of the memorabilia in Michael’s possession cannot be under-estimated and include Cuckoo’s:

• ORIGINAL 1st XI cricket cap from 1917 – this alone is priceless from a Jeppe perspective

• Original war medals won by Cuckoo

• Original school photographs dating from 1912 including many not in the schools possession

• Cuckoo’s original photograph book containing unseen photos of Oribi and various school buildings

• Various letters, in Cuckoo’s own hand and still remarkably intact

• Cups and trophies that Cuckoo won for athletics

• The original letter from the Royal Army informing Cuckoo’s family of his death

• School magazines dating back to 1906 with some of the most beautiful writings therein

One of Cuckoo’s poems was later published in the December Magazine of 1919.

When our country’s in danger and honour’s at stake

And comrades are dying for freedom’s sake

No more will it be for the old Black and White

But for God and for King, for the just and the Right;

And, as for the School we were once wont to do,

United we stand for the Red, White and Blue.

Our deeds shall resound in the haunts of our youth,

In ‘The School’ were we learnt that honour and truth;

We’ll fight with the spirit we showed in our sport,

And Victory with Honour shall be our one thought;

For ourselves we desire not glory nor fame,

But we’ll all give our lives for the Old School’s name.

At roll-call how oft, how the rafters have rung

With applause for a comrade whose feats have been sung:

Those times we thought proudest and brightest of all,

Never dreaming that prouder yet sadder would fall.

Yet prouder we’ll be when we turn again home

From the scenes of the carnage – not all of us: some

Will be sleeping their glorious sleep where they fell,

With the roar of the guns for their passing bell.

• https://www.eaa.org.za/node/450