Charles Melvill Major General Charles William Melvill CB CMG DSO ( 9 September 1878 – 15 September 1925 ) was a soldier who served with the British Army for several years before joining the New Zealand Military Forces . He participated in the First World War with the New Zealand Division and commanded infantry brigades on the Western Front . When he died , he was Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces . Early life . Melvill was born in Bournemouth , England on 9 September 1878 , the youngest son of Teignmouth Melvill . His father was an officer in the 24th Regiment of Foot , British Army , and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his efforts to save his regiment ' s colours after the Battle of Isandlwana , the first major engagement of the Zulu War . Educated at Wellington College in Berkshire , Melvill joined the British Army in 1897 . Military career . Melvill was commissioned as a second lieutenant with the South Lancashire Regiment and later fought in the Boer War . After the war , he served in India for several years and eventually left the service in 1906 with the rank of captain . In 1907 he emigrated to New Zealand to take up farming in the Otago Region but this new lifestyle transpired to only be for a few years . In 1911 Melvill joined the newly established New Zealand Staff Corps , the professional cadre of the New Zealand Military Forces then being reorganised by its commandant , Major General Alexander Godley and for the next two years assisted in the administration and training the newly established Territorial Forces . First World War . In England attending the Staff College at Camberley when the First World War broke out , Melvill returned to his former unit , the South Lancashire Regiment . He embarked for the Western Front in August as part of the " Old Contemptibles " and was wounded the following month . After recovering from his wounds , he was posted to the School of Instruction , Westminster Command , as chief instructor . He then served as brigade major for the Tay Defences from May to September 1915 before transferring to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force ( NZEF ) , which at the time was engaged in the Gallipoli Campaign . Initially a staff officer , he served as brigade major of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade following the evacuation of the Allied forces from Gallipoli in December . When the New Zealand Division was formed in early 1916 , Melvill was promoted to lieutenant colonel and given command of the 4th Battalion of the 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade , leading it through the Battle of the Somme , the first major engagement of the war for the division . He later commanded 2nd Infantry Brigade for a period of time before returning to his battalion . In 1917 , Melvill took over command of the 1st Infantry Brigade during the Battle of Messines when its previous commander , Brigadier General Charles Henry Brown , was killed during an artillery barrage . Promoted to temporary brigadier general , he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for his leadership of the brigade during the Battle of Broodseinde on 4 October 1917 . During the German spring offensive of 1918 , Operation Michael , Melvill ' s brigade played key roles in holding and stabilising the lines in the New Zealand sector . Well regarded for his capable leadership , he also led the New Zealand Division from late June to mid July 1918 while its nominal commander , Major General Andrew Russell was on sick leave . In the Hundred Days Offensive , his leadership of 1st Infantry Brigade saw it breach the Hindenburg Line and capture the town of Crevecoeur during the Battle of the Canal du Nord on 28 September . For this , and his earlier exploits during the German offensive , he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath . By the end of the war , he had been mentioned in despatches four times . Belgium also recognised his contributions to the war effort ; he was appointed as an Officer in the Belgian Order of the Crown as well as being awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre . Later life . After the end of the war , Melvill served as an administrative officer and oversaw the disbandment of the NZEF in 1919 . He was discharged from active duty in October 1919 . Now in the Reserve Forces , on his return to New Zealand he was made commander of the Wellington Military District , which during a reorganisation of the Territorial Force , became Central Command . In April 1924 he was promoted to major general and appointed Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces . He had served in this capacity for nearly 18 months when he suddenly died in Wellington on 15 September 1925 . His death was announced in the House of Representatives the same day . Survived by his wife , Rita Burnett , whom he had married in 1911 , he was buried with full military honours at Karori Cemetery .