Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Colin Campbell Millar was born on the 11th of February 1898 in Chatswood, New South Wales to a Presbyterian family. (2) Colin’s father, Peter Campbell Millar, was of Scottish descent, and after emigrating from Scotland to Australia in 1881 worked as the manager of Clifford Love & Co. 's cornflour mills, where he would work for a total of 35 years. (3) Along with his wife and Colin’s mother, Mary Newell, who was of British descent and born in Australia, the pair had 7 children in total, of which Colin was the youngest. Colin and his family lived in his hometown of Chatswood, Willoughby. (4) He attended high school at Sydney Technical High School between the years of 1910 up to 1915. (5) Colin’s second-term class report from 1912 illustrates him as a mediocre student, where his grades consistently sit in the mid-60s range, with a standout grade of 76 in Scripture. However, he is described by his teachers as consistently well-behaved. (6) Additionally, during his time at Sydney Technical High School, Colin worked as the apprentice of Mr D. Neony for 5 years from 1913 to 1918, where he trained and worked in the trade of carpentry. (7)

Millar enlisted in the AIF near the end of the war, “I, Colin Campbell MILLAR … swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.”, in combination with previous military service in the 5th Battalion, 17th Infantry, and 4 years in the Senior Cadets and 1 year CMF, which made him highly qualified for service. (8) Millar enlisted on the 26th of July 1918 at the age of 18 at the Central Enlisting Depot, Hyde Park, NSW, where he was assigned the rank of private and allocated to the 21st (NSW) General Reinforcements with the service number 66489. (9) Millar’s unit was among the last troopships to depart during the war and embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A36 Boonah on the 22nd of October 1918. (10) However, due to the Armistice on the 11th of November 1918, Millar and the rest of the reinforcements never made it to the frontlines. Instead, the ship became infamous for another reason. An outbreak of the Spanish Influenza killed dozens of soldiers and forced hundreds into quarantine at Woodman Point Quarantine Station, WA. (11) On the 5th of February 1919, Millar was discharged from the AIF and received a Victory Medal for his courage and contributions to the war effort,“Enlisted on 26 July 1918 … Other decorations: Victory Medal … Fate: Returned to Australia (RTA)”. (12) Millar’s wartime story illustrates how soldiers’ contributions extended beyond combat, reminding us that service and sacrifice also took the form of illness, quarantine, and disrupted futures.

Following the end of World War One, Millar was joined by thousands of others returning to civilian life, as they similarly reflected on their experiences and adjusted back to a post-war world that had been forever changed by conflict. Although Millar had remained single up to his enlistment, soon after returning home Millar married Linda Olive Bamford. Tragically, Millar’s wife died the same year, with her death notice being issued on 19th of May 1921 at the age of 20. (13) Millar later remarried, marrying Effie Brassil the next year in 1923 in Petersham, New South Wales. (14) The couple had one child, Colin W. Millar, whose exact birthdate is unknown but who tragically died just 3 years later in 1926. (15) Millar would continue to stay connected to Sydney’s North Shore community, where he lived until his passing in 1976 at the age of 78. (16) 

Australian War Memorial, Enlistment Statistics: First World War, AWM.
NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Birth Certificate Index, Colin Campbell Millar, 1898.
Sydney Morning Herald, “Death of Mr. Peter Campbell Millar,” 22 October 1931 Mid North Coast Pioneers Genealogical Index, Millar Family Entries.
NSW War Memorials Register, Sydney Technical High School Honour Roll – Colin Campbell Millar.
Sydney Technical High School Records, 1912 Report .
NAA: B2455, Service Record, Colin Campbell Millar, Apprenticeship details.
Ibid., Military Training details.
NAA: B2455, Service Record, Attestation Paper.
Australian War Memorial, Embarkation Roll: HMAT Boonah A36, 22 October 1918.
Fremantle History Society, The Boonah Influenza Crisis, 1918.
NAA: B2455, Service Record, Discharge and Medal Entitlement.
Sydney Morning Herald, Death Notice: Linda Olive Millar , 19 May 1921 (via Trove).
NSW Registry of Marriages, Petersham, 1923, Colin C. Millar & Effie Brassil.
NSW Registry of Deaths, 1926, Colin W. Millar.
NSW Registry of Deaths, 1976, Colin C. Millar.
Analysis drawn from combined war records and Spanish Flu outbreak accounts.