Melvin Eric “Bill; also recorded as M.E.” Hammond
Private · NZ #1104 · R2 Patrol · MID
| Rank | Private |
|---|---|
| Service number | NZ #1104 |
| Patrol | R2 Patrol |
| Regiment | 2nd NZ Divisional Cavalry Regiment |
| Known as | “Bill; also recorded as M.E.” |
| Honours | MID |
| Record | https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C136575 |
What this roll records
Forenames given in full in August 2026 as Melvin Eric, where this roll held only “M.E.”. The Auckland War Memorial Museum’s L.R.D.G. Membership Roll of February 1970 gives the full form against the same service number. The old form is kept in the AKA field and stays searchable. He was known as Bill, which is why the initials on this card never resolved. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph, record C136575.
On original LRP Roll (5 Dec 1940): R — Dvr R Patrol; Tp Ldr R2 Patrol LRDG. Source: LRP Roll (Original LRP Nominal Roll as at 5 Dec 1940, Capt L H Browne).
On the R Patrol Nominal Roll, 31 March 1941: Trooper Hammond M.E., 1104. Source: Brendan O'Carroll, 'R Patrol, Long Range Desert Group' (R Patrol Nominal Roll, 31 March 1941).
Farmer in civilian life. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
Embarkation detail from his Cenotaph record: he embarked as Trooper. The rank held on this card, Private, is the infantry name for the same rank, so the two are not in conflict. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph, record C136575.
Cenotaph record linked. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
The prefix NZ has been added to his service number, on the authority of the Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph record already linked on this card — the Museum holds him as a New Zealand service person. The digits are unchanged. This roll formerly left the number unmarked, which made it look like a British number to anyone reading the field rather than the card.
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- Missing info added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll.
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
- LRDG Nominal Roll, 28 Dec 1940 – Jan 1941 (courtesy Tarek el Mahdy) — roll rank: Trooper
This page is part of the Long Range Desert Group roll of members at lrdgarchive.org. If you hold rights to anything on it and would like it credited differently, or taken down, please see Sources and Copyright. It will be dealt with promptly.
Not By Strength But By Guile