Walter Mills
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Walter Mills Jnr was born about 1889 in the district of Gateshead, the son of Walter Hellam Mills born 1855 at Gorton, Lancashire and his wife Rosetta Allen born 1857 native of Barnsley, Yorkshire, one of 8 surviving children, 5 sons and 3 daughters, baby Caroline Mills born 1883 died less than 1 year old. Walter and Rosetta were married at Altrincham, Cheshire in 1876. Having set up home at Gorton in 1881 where Walter Snr worked as an iron turner at “work”, this may well have been the Ashbury Railway Carriage and iron Works at Gorton, between 1881 and 1891 they moved to 69, Low Cuthbert Street, Gateshead where he continued in the same line of employment and their eldest Henry aged 14 was an errand boy. When Walter Jnr was 12 years old and still a scholar, now living at 27 Heworth Avenue his father and brother both worked as fitters.
At the age of 19 Walter Mills and Florence (Florrie) Millican, born February 17th 1889 were married 1908 in the district of Gateshead. Working as a coal miner, he and his wife and new born son Walter Edward born June 20th 1910 were living at 6 Seymour Street, Dunston, Gateshead.
He enlisted at Gateshead in 1914 assigned as Private 11210 Northumberland Fusiliers to the 13th Battalion one of the New Armies raised at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in September 1914. Attached to the 62nd Brigade, 21st Division they concentrated in the Tring area, training at Halton Park before, in winter, moving into local billets in Tring, Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard, High Wycombe and Maidenhead. In May 1915, the infantry moved to huts at Halton Park, whilst the artillery moved to Aston Clinton with one brigade staying at Berkhamsted and the RE to Wendover. On the 9th of August, they moved to Witley Camp, to proceed to France. The main body of men departed during the first week of September, Walter was part of the draft joining the battalion in the field September 9th 1915 and marched across France, their first experience of action was in the British assault at Loos on 26th September 1915, suffering heavy casualties, just a few days after their arrival. Spring 1916 preparations were underway for the Battles of the Somme which began July 1st 1916 during which they participated at the Battle of Albert July 1st-13th.
Private 11210 Walter Mills Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action during day to day trench warfare May 30th 1916 and was interred at Dartmoor Cemetery, Becordel-Becourt, Somme France, grave I. E. 34. He was 27 years old.
His widow Florrie received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their son and his awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at 11 Beaumont Street, Hebburn Colliery, County Durham. Florae Mills remarried in 1919 at South Shields to Joseph P. Wear. Florence Wear-Mills nee Millican died at Whitehaven in 1939 aged 78 years
Walter and Florrie’s son Walter Edward Mills married Phyllis Ivy Bainbridge in 1936. Phyllis was born November 1st 1906 in the county of Yorkshire. They lived at Otley Yorkshire.
During WW2 he joined the Royal Navy as Able Seaman C/JX 128264 assigned to HMS Pelican an anti-aircraft scoop built by Thornycroft of Southampton, launched September 12th 1938. While on her way to the Romsdal Fjord carrying the personnel of the Naval Base party for Molde she was crippled by a German Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber off the coast at Narvik during the Norwegian Campaign, hit aft, setting off her depth charges. She was towed to Lerwick, Shetland then back to Chatham, Kent for repairs.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Walter Mills is remembered at Heworth on H92.03
