Lieutenant henry William Melles Schofield
Dan Hill’s research. Introduction by Ellie Grigsby.
The following biography (written in 2005) of Lieutenant Henry William Melles Schofield (1898-1920) was written by Colin Carlin. Carlin’s impressive passion for seeking Schofield’s wartime story is admirable. His tireless approach in retrieving what proved to be a difficult rescuing of a story lost to the complexities of history, proves testament to the emotional undercurrent that keeps alive our unique family histories. Carlin comprehensively approached and absorbed material from: The National Archives, school obituaries, Indian Army list records, geographical maps, family oral history, cemetery data bases, Indian Army Association, The High Commission of India, The Rajputana Rifles Regimental centre, The National Army Museum, local libraries, The Ministry of Defence, The Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst HQ, births deaths and marriages certification, Hospital for Tropical Diseases records and expertise and the Imperial War Museum (perhaps not an entirely exhaustive list). A notable element of Carlin’s research project involved another person. Documents kept and archived from over two decades ago, held by Merton Court Preparatory, record the companionship between Carlin and the late Christopher Price, who seemed to keep each other motivated, passionate, curious, and through sharing the same motive to find their ‘lost boy’ found a friendship. Looking through their communications over the years as a third party, one found it marvellous to have all the pieces of a puzzle and watch how as each discovery was made between them, Schofield’s story, piece, by piece, fell into place. Here is Schofield’s story in this words of Lieutenant Schofield’s great nephew, Mr. Carlin…
Henry William Melles Schofield was the only son of Samuel and Susan Schofield.
Little is known of Samuel Schofield, but he was the son of a Henry Schofield a cotton mill manager of Oldham, Lancashire. Samuel’s mother was Sarah née Ogden and in 1881 they were living at: 196 Greenacres Road, Oldham with their sons, Samuel (who was then an assistant secretary aged 19) and his two brothers William (bookkeeper at the early age of 14) and John (scholar aged 12). Sarah’s mother Betty Ogden then aged 65, was living with them at the time. It seems that sometime between 1881-1888 the family’s circumstances improved and Samuel was able to enjoy a period of student life in London. By then his parents were living at: 62 Spring Vale, Middleton, near Manchester.
Samuel was a pupil at the Royal College of Music in Kensington, London, for 6 terms between January 1888-1889. He studied piano and singing. The Royal opera House can find no record of him but comment that the term ‘operatic vocalist’ could cover anything from an opera singer to a music hall artist who sang more ‘serious’ songs.
Susan Carlin was the second daughter of Captain James Carlin, a Rhett Butler figure straight out of the pages of Gone With the Wind. He had been a renowned blockade runner during the American Civil War and later ran munitions into Cuba in support of the revolutionaries during the ‘Ten Year War’ they fought against the Spanish Government rather as Joseph Conrad describes in his later works including Arrow of Gold. Susan’s mother Ella Rosa was a romantic figure from the Old south who married in Charleston, South Carolina but claimed distinguished Spanish ancestry. Susan and her sisters and their brother George were part of a lively circle that included nursing trainees at St. Thomas’s Hospital and Queen Charlotte’s, some art students and also students from King’s College, London. The Carlin and Venning families seem to have met through these links which must have included Samuel Schofield when he was at the Royal College of Music.
Murray Carlin writes of his aunt:
“…I got a rather negative impression: she was stouter, seemed actually the elder, and far less attractive; sat, moved littler, if at all; however I was struck by her resemblance in profile to (her brother George) – I would have picked her out as his sister immediately. She talked a lot, mainly bout herself, and showed me her photographs – art photos – of the day – blossoms against the sky, that sort of thing – I don’t remember any portraits, but it doesn’t mean that there weren’t any – all with great pride, and I fear a touch of conceit: she was very well ego-centred. However, I am pretty certain that she had won prizes: she might have well had something published in photographic magazines of the thirties, not much photography in the war, I shouldn’t think.”
Colin Carlin notes:
“I have no clear desperate memory of my three great aunts Susan, Ella and also Aunt Beatrice, Willie’s widowed wife who lived with Louise and helped her with the nursing home. As a small boy in London at the end of the War we used to take the long trolley bus ride out to visit one or the other of them. It was always a great excitement because I would be given a brown egg and brown bread soldiers. More memorably, I was also given a small glass of sherry, as it was important that children should learn how to drink when young! I remember vaguely an old lady’s flat with photographs in silver flames, quite large but full of pictures and a bit crowded.”
Samuel Schofield later became a professor of music but is also shown as an accountant. He seems to have died before 1916 as he is recorded as deceased in henry’s application to Sandhurst and Aunt Louise took responsibility for the fees and he is not mentioned in The Times notice of Henry’s death.
Henry William Melles Schofield born on the 6th March 1898 at 91 Drayton Gardens, Chelsea. The Melles comes from Susan’ grandmother Susan Melles (also written as Mellis) of the Aldborough family of that name. In 1901 Susan and henry (then aged 3 years) were living with her mother Ella Rosa at her house, ‘Bella Vista,’ on Queen’s Road in the then fashionable seaside resort of Broadstairs on the Isle of Thanet in Kent. Susan’s older brother William Yates Carlin, was also visiting his mother and John Leslie Carlin remembers summer holidays spent on Broadstairs beach with his grandmother so it was quite a meeting place for the family. ‘Bella Vista’ still stands; a substantial but not large detached villa, in a vaguely ‘arts and crafts’ style, decorated with tiles. It is a curious looking house and seems ill at ease in its English seaside setting. Agnes Bowker, aged 41 (general domestic) was also living in the house. She was born in Lancashire and may have been attached to the family at some point during their stay in Liverpool.
John Carlin (the son of Susan’s brother George, Henry’s cousin) was a few months older than Henry. They may have been friends for a while when John was in London. He was bitter about Henry’s death and gave the impression that he felt it should not have happened or that something went wrong in the care he received at Aunt Louise’s nursing home. Perhaps he blamed Louise for exposing him to a source of Spanish Influenza that was raging through England at that time and which killed more people than the horrors of the war just past. Perhaps Louise, who was a very much ‘hard-bitten’ medical professional, knew that death from influenza would be more comfortable end than further lingering with TB.
Whatever the truth, John Carlin was given Henry’s military medals and also a silver trophy henry had won July 9th of 1910 (1st prize at the high- jump at Merton Court). It was the small badge o this trophy that led to the discovering that Henry had attended Merton Court Preparatory School in Sidcup. The school was delighted to recover their ‘Old Boy.’ They searched their records and doing that on June 17th of 1911 he ran the quarter mile (open) but was unplaced although he gained a place in the egg and spoon race. Christopher Price, one of the present owners, has gone to great lengths to find out more about their long, lost pupil.
Diligent research by Christopher has revealed that henry went on to St. Paul’s in West London. His senior report from St. Paul’s states that he was good at mathematics and his Latin was ‘very fair’ as was his Greek. His English however was deemed as ‘poor’ though it was noted he ‘tries his best’ quite like his history skills, with his teaching noting his memory was poor.
From St. Paul’s Henry entered ‘D Company’ at Sandhurst Military Academy as a Gentleman cadet and was commissioned into the 2/123rd Outram’s Rifles, 6th Rajputana regiment of the Indian Army, on the 16th August 1917. His first overseas posting was to Rangoon, Burman with the 2rnd battalion Outram’s Rifles that been formed at Baroda in December 1915/January 1916 to supplement the 1st battalion. Burma was then administered by the Government of India and a Rangoon posting would have been a relatively quiet backwater ideal for training up a newly formed unit.
Some idea of his life is given in extracts from his letters home quoted in Susan’s pension application. On May 30th, 1917 he wrote:
“I am only entitled to about 150 chips which is exactly £10. So if this is true, I’ll drop it straight across to you when it arrives which may take a year or two to materialize.”
On September 22nd, 1917 he wrote:
“I also sent a draft off at the beginning of August 1917 via Soots and Grindleys. I wish my affairs would straighten themselves out a bit or else a cheaper station and then would be able to provide a regular allowance to send home, as it is, as long as I stay in Rangoon, I am afraid my drafts will turn up at any off time just when I can snatch some out of the flue (blue?) as it were.”
He was promoted to Wing Officer and Wing Commander which were not a rank as such but indicated that he commanded a wing of the battalion. Denis Bateman. An Indian Army historian writes: ‘An Indian Army infantry regiment was usually divided into two wings of around four companies each, and although only a subaltern, Schofield was one of the few white officers in the regiment against perhaps a dozen or more Indian officers who held the Viceroy’s (not the King’s) commission, and (he) was, therefore senior to all of them.”
The organisation of the Indian Army at this time was complex but the regimental structure of the 6th Rajputana Rifles was composed of a number of individually named Battalions which in the post war reorganisation of 1921, included the 104th Wellesley’s Rifles, 123rd Outram’s Rifles and 125th Napier’s Rifles.
During 1916, the 123rd Outram’s Rifle’s was used as a training and supply unit and officers and men were transferred within the Regiment as necessity demanded. Rawlinson in his history of the regiment gives us some idea of the mood of those days: ‘During the earliest part of the war the 23rd had not the luck to go abroad but did invaluable service in training men and supplying them to the linked and other battalions – three officers and 127 men to the 104th.’ Henry was an instructor in (trench) bombing and a certified instructor in army signalling.
He was then transferred to Mesopotamia in October 1917 where he joined the 104th Wellesley’s who were part of the Nasiriya front force. It has proved impossible to track henry’s movements in Mesopotamia, but the history of this unit shows that they were heavily engaged in training during the period he was stationed in what is now Iraq. We do not know whether he was part of this platoon and company level training or whether he was working at battalion or brigade level as a signals officer. While the winter weather was pleasant enough the men and particularly the British soldiers suffered from poor nutrition. A Medical Officer’s report of the period recommends that they be fed increased amounts of oat porridge and marmite.
A brief history of the regiment during this period fives us some feel for the place and the times. Wellesley’s had been reorganised at their base at Mhow into a head quarters company, which would have included a signals Lieutenant, and four Rifle companies. They were moved to Jubbulpore and mobilised for Mesopotamia under Colonel Cleary in July of 1917. As fast as officers were posted, they disappeared again to take over drafts for other battalions. The Indian troops were composed of drafts from numerous other units including the Kumaonis from the 38th Dogras who joined the more experienced Rajput’s who formed the core of the unit. Wellesley’s left Bombay on board the transport Edavana, on July 16th. The monsoon was at its height and the voyage up the Gulf was unpleasant with temperatures at Basra reaching 126 Fahrenheit (roughly 52 degrees Celsius) in the shade. Disembarkation was delayed until after sundown. They were then marched to Makina Malsus, a cantonment area on the southern banks of the Euphrates a few miles to the west of the custom house and the main base. After a gruelling week under canvas when they completed field service equipment, including taking on 16 Lewis guns, they entrained for Nasiriya on July 30th, 1917.
At Nasiriya The Wellesley’s undertook intensive training in trench warfare and they were instructed in trench bombing and their new rifle. Mud brick barracks were built for the entire battalion on the banks of the Euphrates. The men were instructed in swimming which came in useful when they were transferred up river by barge. Officers continued to arrive and depart, and new drafts were received. Training was completed during a pleasant cold weather, and good small-games shooting was much appreciated by the officers.
On March 20th of 1918 the regiment moved to Baghdad to join the 56th Brigade, which was being formed from a unit of the Nasiriya front force. On reaching Amara they were all very sorry to say goodbye to Captain Shanks Indian Medical Service who had come with the regiment from Jubbulpore and had looked after the health of the men wonderfully well. He had also been a most enterprising and popular Mess secretary, with a wonderful repertoire of cocktails, prescribing the right one for every complaint from which any British officer suffered.
In Baghdad they were camped at Iron Bridge before setting out with the 56th Brigade on April 9th by road for Hillah on the Euphrates and on to Kufa a few miles from the Holy City of Nejaf where a rising had only just been quelled. The regimental history reports that: ‘here uneventful hot weather was spent in billets the time being chiefly devoted to education, gas and bombing instruction, and the training of runners.’ In October the regiment by now a field brigade, was ordered to join third Corps for the final advance on the Tigris. They moved via Baghdad to Abu Rajash, just north of the Tekrit and became part of the Corp reserve. They took no part in the fighting at Fateh Gorge. The final days of the war against Turkey were spent in railway construction and regimental athletic sports were held on November 19th. Henry would have been sad to miss those excitements at least. The regiment were moved to Mirjana where they spent their time playing hockey. They returned to India on March 29th, 1919.
A.T Wilson, the acting commissioner in Mesopotamia gave the final report on the 104th Wellesley’s: ‘No single regiment of the British, or Indian, Army has contributed so many sand no single regiment has contributed such a capable bunch of officers.’ The Rajputana Rifles continued their proud tradition through to India Independence and the 1st battalion brigade of the Guards of today’s India Army, is titled Rajputana Rifles.
We do not know when Henry contracted TB nor the date in 1918 that he was invalided back to England, but he may have been in military hospitals in Basra and back in India on the hospital ship Assaye that was operating in the Persia Gulf and Indian Ocean before returning to England. He died in his Aunt Louise’s nursing home at 119 Beaumont Street W1 London on 2nd October 1920 and was buried in a family grave in Kensal Green Cemetery in North London where his grandmother Ella Rosa and a young cousin had also been buried.
The St. Paul magazine The Pauline published his obituary in 1921:
“Lieutenant Henry William Schofield (1912-15), Indian army died of phthisis on October 2nd,1920. We have been favoured with the following account of his short career. Lieutenant H.W.M Schofield passed his examinations in 1915 and entered Sandhurst in his seventeenth year straight from school. Doing well he was offered Indian Army and sailed in October 1916 for India. He was attached to 123rd Outram’s Rifles, stationed at Rangoon. Within the year he passed his examination in Hindustani qualified in signalling and was made full lieutenant. At the age of nineteen he was appointed regimental signalling officer. Under his instruction his men knew more about signalling in two months that the men who were sent down to him from Burma, had learnt in ten months. He organised and held a signalling field day, the only one ever held in Rangoon to the best of the writer’s knowledge. He also examined the Rifle Brigade in signalling. A question arose of his being sent to Mesopotamia, as two officers were required to be detailed here. The first was definitely known and settled: the second rested between Lieutenant Schofield and another lieutenant. The CO of their regiment told Lieutenant Schofield he could not be spared, or the signals would tumble down. The General, however, decided in favour of Lieutenant Schofield, and so in October 1917 he went to Mesopotamia and was there attached to the 104th Wellesley’s Rifles. It was here on active service that he contracted the fatal disease, which brought this young officer of such promise to his untimely end. He was invalided home in 1918 and passed away in October (2nd)) 1920, in his 22nd year after a long and painful illness.”
Clearly Henry was clever and an able young officer. It was a poignant tragedy for Susan that her only son, having escaped the slaughter of the Western Front, died of an illness caught in Mesopotamia when most o the serious fighting against the Turkish was over. His mother placed a notice in the Times on October 4th, 1920.
