1916: At St Eloi on the Western Front, a mine packed with 30 tons of explosives was detonated under the German lines, tearing vast craters which subsequently became the scene for much heavy fighting.

Captain The Reverend Edward Mellish, a Chaplain serving with the Royal Fusiliers, worked ceaselessly for three days 27-29 March to rescue wounded men in Belgium. On 27 March, he braved artillery barrages and machine-gun fire to bring in ten casualties from No Man's Land. The following day, he rescued a further dozen, then on 29 March he led forward a team of volunteers to save all the remaining wounded they could find. He was awarded the Victoria Cross.

The following is a quote from a letter by an officer of the Northumberland Fusiliers who had witnessed these actions

Nothing could be finer than the way Captain Mellish did his duty and more than his duty during the time he was near us. Immediately the troops captured the trenches and while the wounded were picking their way painfully back, the enemy's guns were turned on full blast and the intervening ground was deluged with shell and machine gun fire. Into this tempest of fire the brave Parson walked, a prayer book under his arm as though on church parade in peace time.

It was only during a lull in the fighting when the ambulance parties could get out that he finally took a rest. Next day he was out again unconcerned as ever. Some of the men would not have survived the ordeal had it not been for the prompt assistance rendered to them by Mr Mellish.

His Victoria Cross was gazetted on April 20th 1916 and he returned to London for the presentation of his award by the King on June 12th 1916 at Buckingham Palace.

The Reverend Mellish continued to minister to the troops' needs until the war's end in November of 1918 and just three weeks after this he married Miss Elizabeth Wallace on December 3rd at his home church of St Pauls in Deptford. Finally leaving the Army Chaplains Department in February of 1919 Edward Mellish with his wife took over as vicar of St Marks church in Lewisham.

During WW2 although by now in his 60's Edward Mellish saw service again as an air raid warden. His final years were spent in quiet retirement in Somerset where he passed away on July 8th 1962 in the village of South Petherton at the age of 82.

1917: The Canadian Cavalry Brigade made a mounted attack at Guyencourt in France, as the German troops in the area withdrew to stronger defences, part of the Hindenburg Line. The Fort Garry Horse captured Saulcourt, while Lord Strathcona's Horse took Guyencourt itself. Lieutenant Harvey was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism; his men coming under heavy fire from a machine-gun nest protected by barbed wire, he jumped from his horse, threw himself across the wire and charged down the machine-gun team, killing its crew.