MILLS, Charles
| Service Numbers: | Officer, SX3781 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 31st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia, 17 July 1877 |
| Home Town: | Longford, Northern Midlands, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Pastoralist |
| Died: | Natural causes, Epworth Hospital, Richmond, Victoria, Australia, 21 April 1937, aged 59 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fawkner Memorial Park Cemetery, Victoria Cremated - Garden of Remembrance 1, Section 37, Niche 81 |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Longford Christ Church Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, 3rd Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Geelong, Hobart | |
| 18 Oct 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 31st Infantry Battalion | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Captain, 31st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Imprisoned Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Repatriated from Switzerland to England 11 January 1919 | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Captain, 31st Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), GSW right hand | |
| 1 Nov 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Captain, 31st Infantry Battalion, HT Orvieto, London for return to Australia - disembarking Melbourne 12 December 1919 | |
| 30 Jan 1920: | Honoured Officer of the Order of the British Empire | |
| 15 Mar 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Captain, 31st Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 28 May 1940: | Enlisted Private, SX3781, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Mar 1947: | Honoured Member of the Order of the British Empire |
Help us honour Charles Mills's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Michael Silver
The Melbourne Argus reported on 23 April 1937 that Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mills, aged 60 years, a retired member of the Quarter-master-General's staff at Army Headquarters, had died at the Epworth Hospital, Richmond.
Charles Mills who had an involvement with the militia for almost 20 years prior to enlisting in 1914 with the Royal Australian Engineers at Queenscliff and later was attached to the Australian Instructional Corps. He became an adjutant in the 4th Division Signallers, and was attached to the 31st Infantry Battalion of the Australian Imperial Forces with the rank of Captain.
Lieutenant Colonel Mills was for two years a prisoner in Germany after being captured during the ill-fated Battle of Fleurbaix in July 1916. At the end of the war he was one of the staff officers who were sent to Germany to search for Australian war graves.
He was survived by a daughter, his wife Jessie (nee Cameron) having predeceased him along with three other children. He was cremated at the Fawkner Cemetery.
Reference: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11059028
Click images to start slideshow.