Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William was killed in action on 24 Apr 1918, his brothers, 2127 Pte. Albert Mills (/explore/people/227509) and 2126 Pte. Frederick Arthur Mills (/explore/people/275810) of the 41st Battalion, were both killed in action at Messines, Belgium, one day apart the previous year.

"Mrs. W. J. R. Mills of North-street, Cleveland, has been advised that her husband Private William John Richard Mills, was killed in action in France on April 24. Private Mills was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. and E. Mills, of Upper Tingalpa and is the third son to make the supreme sacrifice. He was 41 years of age when he enlisted. Privates Albert Mills and Frederick Arthur Mills, were killed in action on June 10, 1917, at Messines." - from the Brisbane Courier 16 May 1918 (nla.gov.au)

There is no direct documentary proof but it is reasonable to assume, given that their names appear on the Mount Gravatt Roll of Honour, that William Mills was the elder brother of Bert and Fred Mills (above). Unlike his two younger brothers, William was married with 3 children. He gave his wife as his next of kin; Ellen Mills, of North Street Cleveland. His occupation as stated at enlistment was blacksmith, although his wife when completing the Roll of Honour Circular for the AWM stated that he was a council employee. It is possible that William was a blacksmith employed by the Tingalpa Shire.

William presented himself for enlistment on 21st April 1917 at Adelaide Street. He gave his age as 40 years and said that he had been rejected for service previously because he was “under standard.”  His physical details recorded show that he was indeed under standard; being only 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 112 lbs (8 stone). Surprisingly he had a 36 inch chest which expanded to 39 inches; no doubt a testament to the work of a blacksmith. William may also have been serving in the 1st Light Horse (Citizens Forces).

William was initially drafted into the engineers (perhaps the authorities thought he would make a good tunneller) but while on pre-embarkation home leave in June 1917, William was transferred as a reinforcement for the 42nd Battalion (Infantry). He embarked from Sydney on 14th June 1917; less than two months since enlistment, and sailed for England. William disembarked at Plymouth and was posted to the 11th Training Battalion at Codford.

Military authorities perhaps realised that William possessed useful skills and he was sent to a Farrier School in Romsey in November 1917. William spent over three months at farrier school learning how to cold shoe mules and horses, even though he had probably been doing so in his civilian employment for over twenty years. William qualified as a cold shoe farrier and returned to his depot.

Unfortunately for William the course of the war had taken a turn for the worse while he was at farrier school. Ludendorff had launched his spring offensive on 21st March 1918 and Gough’s fifth army was being overrun in a massive assault that pushed west towards the city of Amiens and threatened to split the British and French Armies. The British commander, Haig, needed to desperately to halt the advance or risk losing the war. The British armies in the field were proving to be no match for the German storm troops and Haig called on his most dependable troops; the Australians. The Australian divisions were seriously under strength and every able, or not so able, man was rushed to front line battalions as reinforcements

It was in this context that William, having been sent across the channel to Calais, and notwithstanding the training in shoeing he had recently received, found himself rushed into the 52nd Infantry Battalion as a front line soldier.

The 52nd met and eventually held back an attack by two and a half German divisions at Dernacourt on the 5th April; the day after William joined the battalion. Dernacourt was a close-run thing but the two brigades of Australians eventually held the ground, however it was not a decisive victory.

Less than 3 weeks later at Villers Bretonneux, the 13th brigade was again called in to face the German advance on Amiens. On the 25th April 1918 (Anzac Day) the German advance was finally repelled. Sadly, during this action, William Mills was killed.

Villers Bretonneux was the first of three decisive battles in France during 1918 in which the Australians were the spearhead of the attacks, and which would finally bring the war to an end. It is therefore fitting that the Australian National Memorial, which was dedicated by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) in 1938 is located at Villers Bretonneux. Nearby is Adelaide Cemetery, where William Mills is buried.

William’s wife received his personal effects, photos postcards and wallet as well as a pension of two pounds per fortnight. She also received three photographs of his grave and the Empire and Victory medals. Ellen Mills applied to Legacy for assistance in 1956 as a war widow. William’s parents, who were living at Mount Gravatt, and had lost three sons in the war died within three months of each other over the Christmas period of 1921/22. In addition to the Mount Gravatt Roll of Honour, William is commemorated on the Tingalpa Shire Roll of Honour and on the Cleveland War Memorial.