Name
George Mills
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
28/04/1917
22
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
84586
Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)
112th Coy.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star, British War and Victory Medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
POINT-DU-JOUR MILITARY CEMETERY, ATHIES
I. C. 5.
France
Headstone Inscription
No Report
UK & Other Memorials
Tring Town Memorial, St Peter & St Paul Church Roll of Honour, Tring
Pre War
George Mills was born in Long Marston in 1896 to George Mills, farm labourer, and Lucy (nee Pheasant).
On the 1901 Census the family of parents Percy (born 1891), Sarah (born 1896), Albert (born 1896), George (born 1896) and John (born 1898) were living in Long Marston.
On the 1911 Census George was a butcher’s assistant, and was living with his parents, Percy (a carter), Sarah , Albert (farm labourer), John and Arthur (born 1904) in Long Marston.
Wartime Service
No Service Records were found for George. He had enlisted as Private S/32824 in the Army Service Corps in 1913 and went to France on 10 Aug 1914. He returned to UK joining the Machine Gun Corps as Private 84586 and training at Belton, Grantham. He was posted to 112 Company MGC part of 112 Brigade 37 Division around Mar 1917. the Division were engaged in the Battle of Arras in particular the 1st Battle of the Scarpe (9-14 Apr) and 2nd Scarpe (23-24 Apr). It was probably in this last engagement that George was wounded and although evacuated through the Medical Service died on 28 Apr 1917.
From the Parish Magazine June 1917: “George Mills joined the A.S.C. a year before the war broke out, and was a member of the first wonderful expeditionary force which saved the situation in France in those earlier and darker days of the German on rush. Later he returned to England to be trained in the machine gun corps, and had only been back at the front in his new capacity for three weeks, when he was severely wounded and died on 28th April. His Lieutenant, writing about his death, says ‘’he did his duty well and bravely during the days of the attack, and I cannot tell you how sorry we are to lose him. We did all we could for him and had him carried down on a stretcher by our own men’”.
Additional Information
War Gratuity of £15 10s and arrears of £16 0s 7d was shared between his parents and siblings Percy, John and Sarah.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Jonty Wild
