THE ACTION AT MELLE, 9 JULY 1745

The action at Melle in Flanders on 9 July 1745 was fought during the brief interval between the allied defeat at Fontenoy with the subsequent fall of Tournai, and the significant loss of territory which followed the withdrawal of increasing numbers of British troops to deal with the Jacobite rebellion. The defeat of the allies at Melle contributed only modestly to their loss of Flanders. The interest of the action lies in its character as an encounter battle, fought largely at unit level between relatively small forces on ground where deployment was exceptionally difficult. (Original abstract - amended)