Charles A. Mellish

1941 - 1953  (12 years)

• Name	Charles A. Mellish
  Born	18 Apr 1941  [1]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	drowning, accident, story
  Misfortune	1953	North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Drown
  Misfortune	1953
  	drowned
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-338012
  Died	12 May 1953	North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Buried	15 May 1953	Ayr Cemetery, Ayr, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Person ID	I338012	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	Clayton Clarence Wood,   b. 23 Dec 1915, Bright, Blandford Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario ,   d. 8 Sep 1982, Ayr, North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 66 years)
  Mother	May Eileen Scott,   b. 1914, Midland, Tay Twp., Simcoe Co., Ontario ,   d. 16 Jan 1978, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 64 years)
  Family ID	F247543	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  AYR - The funeral of Charles Mellish, 12, who drowned yesterday afternoon in the Nith River, will be held Friday at the Ball Funeral Parlor. Burial will be in Ayr cemetery Kitchener-Waterloo Record - 12 May 1953 __________________________________ Charles Mellish Drowning Victim A half-holiday from school time for an enjoyable afternoon of swimming - resulted in the death by drowning on Tuesday afternoon of Charles Mellish, 12, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Wood, Ayr. The tragedy occurred at Nithvale dam before the eyes of eight young companions, when Charles, a non-swimmer, stepped off a cement ledge into seven feet of murky water. A futile rescue attempt by Roy Hartwick, Ayr-Wrigley's road, was thwarted by the desperate struggle of the drowning lad, and he sank from sight only 15 feet from shore. Victim Was Unable to Swim Stanley Wright, 13, one of the group present, related the details in a shocked, unbelieving voice a half hour after the life of one of his friends had been snuffed out. A public school music festival at the Community Centre gave those not participating a free afternoon and many turned toward Nithvale dam to combat the heat. Stanley had just dived from a ledge at the dam's edge when Charles, who had been standing beside him, also stepped off into the depths Roy Hartwick Attempted Rescue According to Stanley, his struggles were not taken seriously for a moment until he became frantic. Another youngster, Roy Hartwick, who was just approaching the dam in bathing trunks, perceived the situation and dived in to render assistance. The flailing arms of the victim grasped at the inexperienced young swimmer who was forced to extricate himself and could not effect a rescue. Keith Goodfellow Comes to Scene In the meantime, another companion rushed 500 yards, to the Community Centre where he met Keith Goodfellow, a teacher at Mill Creek school. Mr. Goodfellow hurried to the scene, but by that time the lad had disappeared. Body Located 15 Minutes Later Stanley dashed by bicycle to The News office, where he is errand boy, and informed the staff. A car, driven by S. A. Moffatt, Galt, was commandeered and carried three members to the scene. By this time the lad had been submerged for 15 minutes, but a search detail was immediately organized. The body was recovered less than five minutes later by R. A. Schmidt of The News, who located the boy about 10 feet offshore in six feet of water. Artificial Respiration Fruitless Artificial respiration was applied, but a short time later he was pronounced dead by Dr. R. D. Atkinson. It was a shocking experience for Charles' young companions: Stanley Wright, Donald Johnson, Douglas Dance, Ricky Merriman, Bill Makins, Gary Sippel and Roy Hartwick who were present when the tragedy occurred. The funeral will be held from the W. O. Ball Funeral Parlor on Friday, May 15. The Ayr News May 14 1953 pg 1

  
  

• Sources

  [S367] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Ayr - Ayr Public CC#4489 Internet Link . [Flat marker] In Loving memory of/ Charles A. Mellish/ Apr. 18, 1941 - May 12, 1953

  
  

• Event Map

  Misfortune - Drown - 1953 - North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 12 May 1953 - North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - 15 May 1953 - Ayr Cemetery, Ayr, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth