MILLS, William Henry
| Service Number: | 3396 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 July 1915, Enlisted at Lithgow, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Lithgow, Lithgow, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Church Trust School, Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Occupation: | In England he was a coal miner [1911 census].Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, 53rd Casualty Clearing Station. Peronne, France, 14 September 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
La Chapelette British and Indian Cemetery, Peronne Plot 111, Row B, Grave 9. Headstone inscription reads: In memory of the dearly loved son of Mr. & Mrs. Mills of Bulwell, La Chapelette British and Indian Cemetery, Peronne, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3396, Enlisted at Lithgow, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3396, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3396, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Sydney | |
| 13 Sep 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3396, Shell wounds to the chest | |
| 14 Sep 1918: | Involvement Private, 3396, 1st Pioneer Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3396 awm_unit: 1st Australian Pioneer Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-09-14 |
Help us honour William Henry Mills's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Arrived in Australia aged 21 years
Son of Henry and Edith Maria Mills of 3 Heiron Place, Stockwell Street, Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, Englland; brother of Henry Mills of Lithgow, NSW
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Meda, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
William was the son of Henry a coal miner and Edith Maria Mills, née Cattermole of 3 Heiron Place, Stockwell Street, Bulwell, Nottingham. His father Henry was born in 1872 in Kegworth, Leicestershire and his mother Edith Maria Cattermole was born in 1871 at Earl Soham, Suffolk. Their marriage is recorded in 1892 in the Basford Registration area, they went on to have three children, sadly one died in infancy prior to 1911 ; their surviving children were William Henry b 1893 Bulwell and Fanny b 1900 also in Bulwell. In the 1911 census the family are living at 13 Austin Street, Bulwell and are shown as Henry 39 years a coal miner living with his wife Edith Maria 40 years and their 2 children , William Henry 18 years a coal miner and Fanny Mills 11 years a scholar. At some point between 1911 and before 1914 William emigrated to Australia because at the outbreak of the Great War he enlists into the Australian Army.
Extract from the 'Nottingham Evening Post', dated 7th October 1918:- “MILLS. – Died of wounds Sept., 14th, 1918, Pte. W. Hy. Mills, Pioneers, Australian Imperial Force. A bitter blow, a shock severe, to part with one I loved so dear. – From his sorrowing sweetheart Flo.”
He is remembered on the St Mary the Virgin and All Souls War Memorial at Nottingham (Bulwell)
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