Heslop's Local Advertiser
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
George Miller was born July 15th 1893 at Felling. Gateshead, County Durham, one of 15 children of whom only 9 survived, he was the 3rd born son of 4 and had 5 sisters. His father Joseph Miller native of Penshaw, County Durham was born in 1847, he was married in 1871 to Dorothy Pearson of Penshaw who was nor only 9 years his junior but having been born during the 4th quarter of 1857 was barely 15 years old. In 1881 they were living at Old Fold, Felling with their 3 daughters Elizabeth, Mary Ann and Sarah, Joseph was employed as a coal miner. They moved home twice over the next 20 years, first to Holly Street and then to 43, Elliott Street. By 1901 their three eldest daughters were married, only Emma (16) was employed, working at the printing works, Edward (11), Andrew (9), George (7) and Beatrice (5) were scholars, Nicholas the youngest was only 2. Joseph Miller had died by 1911, George (17) employed below ground as a pony driver and his elder brother Andrew (19) as a shifter were their mother’s only means of support and that of daughter Beatrice (16) and Nicholas (12). They were now living at Church Chare, Whickham, Gateshead.
When war was declared in 1914 George was one of the many thousands who volunteered to enlist and soon there was an excess of men who were not needed for service in the Army. The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was formed by members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and these volunteers, an idea of Winston Churchill. First Lord of the Admiralty. They were formed into 8 battalions, Drake, Benbow, Hawke, Collingwood, Nelson, Howe, Hood and Anson. George Miller was assigned as Able Seaman Tyneside Z/957 Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, Collingwood Battalion, Royal Naval Division. Collingwood trained at Blandford, Camp in Dorset and departed as part of the British Mediterranean Force, 2nd Brigade, 63rd Division for Plymouth May 10th 1915 where they embarked on H.M.S. Transport Ivernia.
They arrived at Mundros May 23rd after a brief stop at Gibraltar and Malta on the way. The next weeks were spent training and acclimatising, including route marches and field work. Thursday, May 27th 1915, they received order to prepare to leave for the front. On Saturday 29th they left Mudros packed on four lighters (barges) arriving off Cape Helles that same afternoon. Transferred to trawlers they were taken ashore and once on the beaches marched to their temporary camp. The following day they were marched to the reserve trenches and set to digging, even in reserve shelling of the trenches was a constant hazard. Thursday June 3rd they received orders that the Battalion was to go up to the front line trenches that night to take part in an attack the following day. June 4th Collingwood was in reserve, Howe, Hood and Anson Battalions attacked the Turkish lines in a hail of bullets and manage to capture it. That same afternoon Collingwood ‘A’ Company went to the front lines in support of Anson suffering heavy losses, “B’ Company in support of Hood, ‘D’ Company in support of Howe but the battalion soon had to retire with no gain and the loss of many men.
The morning of June 5th Collingwood was ordered to return to its camp at Blackhouse Post and the following morning June 6th sustained heavy shelling from the enemy lines, although they took cover in the dugouts they sustained 15-20 casualties.
Able Seaman Tyneside Z/957 George Miller Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve was amongst them, he was killed as a direct result of enemy action June 6th 1915 and interred at Lancashire Landing Cemetery, Cape Helles, Gallipoli, (Turkey), grave B 48. He was 22 years old and single.
His mother Dorothy of 5, Armstrong Buildings, Dunston, Gateshead, County Durham, received all monies due to him and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Dorothy Miller nee Pearson died during the 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) 1933, district of Gateshead, aged 78 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
His death was reported in Heslop's Local Advertiser 16/07/1915.
