The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces have confirmed that the grave of an unknown soldier in Bois-Carré British Cemetery, in Thélus, France, is that of Sergeant Arthur Melvin, a Canadian soldier of the First World War.

Arthur Davidson Melvin was born on June 3, 1887, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He immigrated to Canada sometime after 1901 and worked as a pipefitter until he enlisted with the 56th Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) on May 18, 1915, in Calgary. In March 1916, he sailed for England, and after training, transferred to the 31st Infantry Battalion, CEF, and was sent to France. He was promoted to the rank of corporal and then sergeant.

In the spring of 1917, in the Battle of Arras, which included the assault on Vimy Ridge, the 31st Infantry Battalion fought as part of the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Division. Sergeant Melvin was first reported missing, and later presumed dead on April 9, 1917, in the effort to clear and hold the village of Thélus. He was 29.