Stephen Melville

General Stephen A. Melville SSA OBE (1904-1977) was a South African military commander. During World War II he commanded air force formations in East Africa, North Africa, Madagascar, and Italy.

He matriculated from Grey College, Bloemfontein before going to work in a bank. He joined the Merchant Navy as a stoker. He joined the SAMR in 1924 as a trooper before transferring to the Artillery. In 1929 he was trained as a pilot and transferred to the South African Air Force

He served as Air Chief of Staff from 1954 to 1956, as Inspector-General from 1956 to 1958, and as Commandant-General, i.e. head of the Union Defence Forces, from 1958 to 1960.

He later served on the Armaments Board until 1974. He was also the Government's representative on the Rand Water Board

Awards and Decorations
Then Colonel Melville was Mentioned in Dispatches in July 1943