Bombardier Samson Mellors Royal Artillery
War Medal 1939-45. General Service Medal 'Palestine 1945-48'. Efficiency Medal 'T&AVR' and clasp.
The Man Samson Mellors was born in the first quarter of 1926 in Basford, Nottingham, Son of Ernest Arthur, a coal Miner Hewer at Gedling Colliery and Lily nee Tolley. He was one of seven children, James Leonard Arthur (1920-1987), Ernest Samuel (1922-1948), Ronald (1928-2005), Wilfred Leslie (1933-1961), Phyllis M M (died shortly after birth in 1935) and Pamela Mary (1939-2012).
The 1939 Register shows the family living at 2 Robin Hood Villas, Church Street, Arnold, although Samson, aged 13 is either not present or his name has been redacted. At the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939 Samson was aged just 13, however, on 3rd July 1944 aged 18 he was called up and enlisted into the 4th Battalion Royal Artillery Training Regiment (Field) with service number 14449764, serving at home for the remainder of the war and being awarded his War Medal 1939-45.
He remained in the army after the war and during the third quarter of 1945 married Phyllis Turton in Nottingham, they had three children, Patricia A born in 1949, Glenda 1954 and Sandra K 1960.
Samson saw service in India was promoted to Bomardier and on 18th March 1947 was posted with the 1st Field Regiment to Palestine. After WWII, international pressure for a Jewish state grew and Britain, facing escalating violence from both Arab and Jewish nationalist groups and unable to reconcile their conflicting demands, handed the "Palestine problem" to the United Nations. For his service he was awarded the General Service Medal (GSM) with clasp ‘Palestine 1945-48’.
On 22nd November 1950 he was posted to Singapore as part of the Middle East Land Forces and deployed to Malaya with the 26th Field Regiment during the Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, (1948–1960). A a guerrilla war fought in Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army and the military forces of the Federation of Malaya and Commonwealth (British Empire). The communists fought to win independence for Malaya from the British Empire and to establish a communist state, while the Malayan Federation and Commonwealth forces fought to combat communism and protect British economic and colonial interests. For his service he was awarded the clasp ‘Malaya’ to his GSM.
Samson and his family lived at Roker Close, Aspley, Nottinghamshire and on leaving the army in August 1952 aged 25 he followed on his father’s footsteps becoming a Miner in a local colliery. On Sunday 11th June 1961 he had been with his brother Wilfred, also a miner. They had parted at about 1400h and Samson was unfortunate enough to come across a road traffic collision about half an hour later on his way home, to find that it was Wilfred who was the victim. Wilfred sadly passed away at about 1600h the same day from extensive and severe injuries aged just 28. The Coroner gave the cause of death as Contusion of the brain associated with a fractured base of the skull and contusion of the lung associated with fractured ribs.
In 1963 Samson joined the Territorial Army Royal Artillery with a new service number 23934163 and again promoted to Bombardier. In 1969 he suffered an accident at work and injured his eye and had to leave the mining sector. He later took the National Insurance Committee to court claiming they had acted incorrectly by reducing the amount of his special hardship allowance, but his case was dismissed with costs.
He was awarded his Efficiency Medal ‘T&AVR’ in Army Order 106 of 1975 and in List 129 of 1981 the first clasp to the medal.
At some time, Samson divorced Phyllis and remarried to Bridgit Ronayne in the last quarter of 1983 and aged 56. Bridgit hailed from Ireland and they moved there, Samson passing away on 25th June 1996 aged 69 in Lismore, Waterford, Ireland. Phyllis, his first wife died in 2004.
The 1939 Register shows the family living at 2 Robin Hood Villas, Church Street, Arnold, although Samson, aged 13 is either not present or his name has been redacted. At the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939 Samson was aged just 13, however, on 3rd July 1944 aged 18 he was called up and enlisted into the 4th Battalion Royal Artillery Training Regiment (Field) with service number 14449764, serving at home for the remainder of the war and being awarded his War Medal 1939-45.
He remained in the army after the war and during the third quarter of 1945 married Phyllis Turton in Nottingham, they had three children, Patricia A born in 1949, Glenda 1954 and Sandra K 1960.
Samson saw service in India was promoted to Bomardier and on 18th March 1947 was posted with the 1st Field Regiment to Palestine. After WWII, international pressure for a Jewish state grew and Britain, facing escalating violence from both Arab and Jewish nationalist groups and unable to reconcile their conflicting demands, handed the "Palestine problem" to the United Nations. For his service he was awarded the General Service Medal (GSM) with clasp ‘Palestine 1945-48’.
On 22nd November 1950 he was posted to Singapore as part of the Middle East Land Forces and deployed to Malaya with the 26th Field Regiment during the Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War, (1948–1960). A a guerrilla war fought in Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army and the military forces of the Federation of Malaya and Commonwealth (British Empire). The communists fought to win independence for Malaya from the British Empire and to establish a communist state, while the Malayan Federation and Commonwealth forces fought to combat communism and protect British economic and colonial interests. For his service he was awarded the clasp ‘Malaya’ to his GSM.
Samson and his family lived at Roker Close, Aspley, Nottinghamshire and on leaving the army in August 1952 aged 25 he followed on his father’s footsteps becoming a Miner in a local colliery. On Sunday 11th June 1961 he had been with his brother Wilfred, also a miner. They had parted at about 1400h and Samson was unfortunate enough to come across a road traffic collision about half an hour later on his way home, to find that it was Wilfred who was the victim. Wilfred sadly passed away at about 1600h the same day from extensive and severe injuries aged just 28. The Coroner gave the cause of death as Contusion of the brain associated with a fractured base of the skull and contusion of the lung associated with fractured ribs.
In 1963 Samson joined the Territorial Army Royal Artillery with a new service number 23934163 and again promoted to Bombardier. In 1969 he suffered an accident at work and injured his eye and had to leave the mining sector. He later took the National Insurance Committee to court claiming they had acted incorrectly by reducing the amount of his special hardship allowance, but his case was dismissed with costs.
He was awarded his Efficiency Medal ‘T&AVR’ in Army Order 106 of 1975 and in List 129 of 1981 the first clasp to the medal.
At some time, Samson divorced Phyllis and remarried to Bridgit Ronayne in the last quarter of 1983 and aged 56. Bridgit hailed from Ireland and they moved there, Samson passing away on 25th June 1996 aged 69 in Lismore, Waterford, Ireland. Phyllis, his first wife died in 2004.
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Samson Mellors Royal Artillery Tracer Cards
The Story The medals awarded to Samson Mellors were purchased at the Stratford Upon Avon Medal Fair on Sunday 26th October 2025. They were of interest because of the double clasped General Service Medal and Efficiency Medal 'T&AVR' combination.
Thanks to his unusual name, which appeared in full on his Royal Artillery Tracer Card a brief biography could be pieced together from details on Ancestry and the newspaper archives.
The Efficiency Medal shows his surname spelled incorrectly, MELLERS instead of MELLORS, however the medal lists showing the award of the EM and clasp are correct and confirm his service number.
Thanks to his unusual name, which appeared in full on his Royal Artillery Tracer Card a brief biography could be pieced together from details on Ancestry and the newspaper archives.
The Efficiency Medal shows his surname spelled incorrectly, MELLERS instead of MELLORS, however the medal lists showing the award of the EM and clasp are correct and confirm his service number.
Medal Details:
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- General Service Medal: 14449764 BDR.S.MELLORS. R.A.
- Efficiency Medal: 23934163 BDR. S.MELLERS RA.
This page last updated: 4 Nov 25
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