ARCHIVES
A MELVILLE FAMILY COLLECTION
Valuable items from a family with a long Scotch history
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1 . A . H . MELVILLE ’ S CAP BADGE . 2 . 1911 DIAMOND JUBILEE BADGE . 3 . CIGAR BOX WITH SCOTCH DECORATIONS . 4 . 1941 PREMIERSHIP CRICKET STUMP . 5 . DETAIL ON CRICKET STUMP . 6 . A . H . MELVILLE ’ S 1903 ENGLISH 1ST PRIZE . BOOK . 7 . MONOGRAMMED CIGARETTE CASE . 8 . 1904 SCOTCH SPORTS MEDAL .
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Not all 38 Melvilles at Scotch are related , but two families have a long Scotch history . The newer family began with Dr Alexander Hugh Melville ( born 5 July 1889 , SC 1903-07 , died 14 August 1957 ), and currently counts four generations of Scotchies . The eldest living member is Dr Hugh Melville ( SC 1936-42 ), 1942 Vice Captain , now 96 years old .
Over several visits to the Archives this year , Hugh ’ s younger son , Peter ( SC 1971-76 ), has donated Scotch treasures from Hugh . They include unique items like a cricket stump signed by Hugh ’ s 1941 premiership team , and a cigar box painted with Scotch colours and coat of arms . His medical practitioner father ’ s monogrammed Scotch cigarette case has no counterpart in items now sold at the Scotch Shop !
Other early items are Alexander ’ s Scotch cap badge , his 1904 Scotch sports medal , and a very well-worn 1911 Diamond Jubilee medallion that – like many others – was probably used as a keyring . Hugh ’ s engraved watch with a wristband in Scotch colours was previously unknown to the Archives .
Just as valuable , though , were the many Scotch sport and other group photographs of Hugh ’ s that were donated . Most
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people assume that the Archives has all such photographs , when the truth is quite different . The Archives was not founded until 1985 , which means those photographs it has now either survived at Scotch through luck , or have since been donated . There are many gaps waiting to be filled .
Scotch thanks Peter for the Melville donations , and encourages other Scotch families to contact the Archives before throwing away that which the Archives may not have .
78 Great Scot Issue 160 – September 2020