MILLS, Sydney Sylvanus
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 September 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Carrieton, South Australia, 19 August 1889 |
| Home Town: | Quorn, Flinders Ranges, South Australia |
| Schooling: | University of Adelaide, South Australia |
| Occupation: | School Teacher |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 20 September 1917, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide High School Great War Honour Board, Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide University of Adelaide WW1 Honour Roll, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Norwood Primary School Honour Board, Peterborough Public School Honour Board WW1, Queenstown Alberton Public School Great War Honor Roll, Quorn Roll of Honor, Quorn War Memorial, South Australian Education Department Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 10th Infantry Battalion, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 9 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Adelaide | |
| 27 Nov 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 10th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 10 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-09-20 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion |
AUFC & AUCC - Anzac Day 2015
Extract from the Adelaide University Football Club and Adelaide University Cricket Club document honouring "The Fallen" Anzac Day 2015.
Sydney played with the Adelaide University Cricket Club in the 1911/12 and 1912/ 1913 seasons while a teacher at Hindmarsh and studying for a BA. At the time of enlistment he was a teacher at Port Augusta .
Sydney enlisted on 15th September 1916 and joined the 10th Battalion on 4th August 1916. He was commissioned on 2nd December 1916. For his work on 7th May 1917 at Bullecourt, he was awarded the Military Cross “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Under heavy bombardment by the enemy he carried out the work of consolidation. His section of the trench was repeatedly blown in, but with great tenacity and courage he hung on and prevented the enemy regaining the position.” During the Battle of Polygon Wood on 20th September 1917 he was initially posted as missing but subsequently declared to be killed in action.
Submitted 15 May 2016 by Eleanor Filmer
Biography
Son of: Howard Mills & Susan Margaret Jordan.
Wife: Phoebe Harriet Taylor.
Service No. 2196.
He studied for Primary, Junior & Senior Teaching & 2 years for Bachelor of Arts at the University of Adelaide, South Australia.
Served in France & Belgium.
Reported Missing in Action - Battlefields Belgium. Later changed to Killed In Action. Age 27.
Awarded the Military Cross on 14th August 1917 for Gallantry & Devoution to Duty.
Biography contributed by Jamestown Community School
Sydney Sylvanus Mills, known as Syd, was born on 19 August 1889 in his hometown of Carrieton, South Australia.[1] Sydney was the firstborn child of parents Howard and Susan Mills and was the eldest of 6 children: Harold, Eileen, Roland, Vera, and Victor.[2]
Syd attended Peterborough Public School for his primary and senior school years. In 1910, he moved to Adelaide to study at the University of Adelaide. While attending university, Syd played B-grade cricket for the University of Adelaide Cricket Club.[3]
Sydney met the love of his life, Phoebe Harriet Mills and they married in 1914 at Quorn. Before Sydney enlisted, he taught at Quorn High School.[4]
Sydney enlisted in the war on 15 September 1915. He was 26 years and 1 month old when he submitted his enlistment papers. Before enlisting in the war, Sydney served as an army cadet, which may have driven his enlistment goal. Syd had no known friends with whom he enlisted. Sydney obtained his rank of Lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force by serving as a cadet from 1906-1907 and was commissioned as an officer in the cadets from 1908-1911. [5]
Sydney's time at war was short-lived. On 9 March 1916, he embarked from Adelaide on board the ‘RMS Mongolia’. He then boarded the ‘HT Ivernia’, arriving in Alexandria in Egypt on 20 May 1916; he then continued his journey, arriving in Marseilles, France, on 26 May 1916. [6]
Syd was taken on strength and assigned his role as an officer in the army with the rank of Lieutenant—Unit 10th Australian Infantry Battalion, Officer number 2196. On 11 August 1917, Sydney was transferred to Intelligence and Scouting School, where he attended for approximately three weeks; he then rejoined his unit on 1 September 1917. [7]
On 14 August 1917, Sydney Sylvanus Mills was awarded the Military Cross. The Military Cross is awarded for “an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land, to captains or officers of lower rank up to warrant officers. (NCOs or other ranks instead received the Military Medal.)”[8]. According to the National Archives of Australia documents, Sydney received this award “for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty under heavy bombardment by the enemy he carried out the work on consolidation. His section of the trench was repetitively blown in, but with great tenancy and courage, he hung on and prevented the enemy from regaining his position”.
Sydney was killed in action on 20 September 1917 at Polygon Wood near Ypres, Belgium. [9]
Sydney never personally received his Military Cross; his widow, Phoebe H. Mills, received the cross after his death. [10] [11]
Sydney has no known grave; however, his name is on the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, along with thousands of other names of allied soldiers who have no known grave[12]. Sydney's name is also mentioned on various other honour boards around South Australia, such as the Adelaide School Honour Board, Adelaide National War Memorial, University of Adelaide WW1 Honour Roll, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Norwood Primary School Honour Board, Peterborough Public School Honour Board WW1, Quorn Roll of Honour, Quorn War Memorial, South Australia Education Department Roll of Honour.[13]
[1] (“Details”)
[2] Orvad, A. (2024) Conversation with Zoe Pammenter, 13 June.
[3] (“Sydney Sylvanus Mills”)
[4] Orvad, A. (2024) Conversation with ZoePammenter, 13 June.
[5]Ovard, A.(2024)ConversationwithZoePammenter,20thAugust
[6] (“Sydney Sylvanus Mills”)
[7] (Terrace)
[8] (“Military Cross (MC) | the Gazette”)
[9] Ovard, A (2024) ConversationwithZoePammenter,13 june.
[10] (Terrace)
[11] (“MILITARY HONORS - AWARDS to AUSTRALIANS. - the Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) - 13 Oct 1917”)
[12] Ovard, A (2024) Conversation with Zoe Pammenter, 13 June 2024
[13] (“Sydney Sylvanus MILLS MC”)
References:
“Details.” Aif.adfa.edu.au, aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=209587. Accessed 13 June 2024.
“Sydney Sylvanus Mills.” The University of Adelaide, 2021, connect.adelaide.edu.au/nodes/view/25766.
Terrace, Victoria. “View Digital Copy.” Naa.gov.au, 2024, recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=7981272. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
“Military Cross (MC) | the Gazette.” Www.thegazette.co.uk, www.thegazette.co.uk/awards-and-accreditation/content/100068.
“MILITARY HONORS - AWARDS to AUSTRALIANS. - the Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931) - 13 Oct 1917.” Trove, Trove, 2014, trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5562348?searchTerm=Sydney%20Sylvanus%20Mills%20Military%20cross. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
“Sydney Sylvanus MILLS MC.” Vwma.org.au, 2024, vwma.org.au/explore/people/98022.
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