Photo: Pauline Priano
Photo: Pauline Priano
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Thomas Greenwill Millar, one of 7 children, was the eldest of his 3 surviving siblings, all boys. His father Robert Horswill Miller originated from Devon where he was born at Bigbury, September 5th 1869, one of 3 sons and a daughter, offspring of agricultural labourer, Thomas Prowse Miller and his wife Elizabeth Horswill. Soon after the birth of their youngest child Stephen in 1872, the Miller family migrated to the north east settling at Cramlington where, Thomas Prowse Miller found work at Scott Pitt, Cramlington, as a hewer, tragically he was killed by a fall of stone, May 21st 1873, aged 47 years. His widow Elizabeth in 1881 was living at 19, Railway Row, Cramlington, her eldest son James Henry (16) supported her, Robert (11) and Stephen (9), employed at the colliery as an assistant fireman, daughter Mary Jane had married in 1877.
Robert Horswill Miller was married in 1891 in the district of Tynemouth, Northumberland to Elizabeth Jane Robbins born at Seghill, Northumberland, January 21st 1871 and moved in next door to his family at Railway Row. After his brothers left the family home Elizabeth went to live with Mary Jane, her husband John, 5 adolescent children and his widowed father at 113, Shankhouses Row, Cramlington. Robert was employed briefly at Blyth, birthplace of Thomas Greenwill Miller in 1894, between 1894 and 1901 his parents had moved to Walbottle, Northumberland, and were living at 2, Coaly Hill Terrace as his father Robert was deputy overman at the colliery. His surviving brothers Norman Horswill and Robert Prowse Miller were born, May 4th 1903 and May 30th 1908 respectively at Walbottle, where in 1911, the family occupied 5 rooms at Devonshire House, Northumberland Gardens, Walbottle. Robert Horswill Miller was employed as a coal hewer, Thomas Greenwill (16) as a farmer’s byre lad, his younger brothers remained at home with their mother. Robert’s mother, Elizabeth Miller nee Horswill died in 1911 aged 78 years.
When war was declared with Germany in 1914 Thomas Greenwill Miller was living at Newburn, Northumberland but enlisted at Hexham, assigned as Private 1932 to the 4th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, a Territorial Force in peacetime which once mobilised was posted to the Tyne defences. The Territorials were split into two lines during November 1914, the 1st Line for men willing to serve overseas, the 2nd Line for those unable or unwilling to serve overseas. Private Miller did not depart with the first wave of men of the 1/4th Battalion, April 20th 1915, but remained in England and rose to the rank of Sergeant. His medal index card indicates he departed after January 1916, but after a change of service number to 200536 indicating his departure was post March 1st 1917. Once arrived at the front he was transferred to the 1st/4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment as Sergeant 235370 and posted to the 9th (Service) Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, 69th Brigade, 23rd Division.
The 23rd Division after its participation on the Somme returned to the Ypres salient in Belgium, April 6th-9th 1917 to relieve the 38th and 47th Divisions but were withdrawn from the front line on the 28th. May 10th they returned to the front line at Messines Ridge in the region of Hill 60 where they held the line until June 7th when they were relieved and did not see any major action until being placed in reserve, August 23rd to reinforce the 14th Division. September 3rd the 23rd Division was preparing for an attack to the east of Menin Road and was in place by the 15th, however, the attack did not begin until September 20th. The 9th Battalion as part of the 69th Brigade accompanied by the 68th Brigade advanced and captured the first line within an hour but met stiff resistance from German artillery, pill-boxes and dug-outs.
Sergeant 235370 Thomas Greenwill Miller Yorkshire Regiment died of wounds, September 26th 1917, during the offensive at Menin Road, a phase of the Battle of Passchendaele, though his body could not be retrieved for Christian burial due to the atrocious conditions of the Ypres battlefield, a quagmire of mud after months of rain and shelling. He was one of almost 270,000 British Empire casualties killed, wounded or missing during the offensive, July 31st-November 11th 1917.
His sacrifice is recorded as one of 35,000 names inscribed on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing which forms the back boundary wall at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zillebeke, near Ypres, Belgium, commemorating British and New Zealand forces who died on the Ypres silent between August 1917 and November 1918. Sergeant Miller was 23 years of age and single.
His father received all monies due to his son from the Army and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at Devonshire House, Northumberland Gardens, Walbottle, Newburn, Northumberland.
In 1939 retired coal miner Robert and Elizabeth Jane Miller were living in their son Norman’s home at “Lynwood,” Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. Norman had moved to Nottinghamshire after his marriage to May Mitchinson in 1932, district of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, also in the household was her mother Mary Mitchinson, born October 24th 1866. This was a temporary situation, presumably related to WW2 as Robert Horswill Miller died aged 77 years registered at Northumberland South, details as regards Elizabeth Jane Miller nee Robbins, unknown. May Miller nee Mitchinson of 168, Wingrove Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, died March 21st 1974, effects in the sum of £679. Norman Horswill Miller died at Torbay Devon, April 21st 2000.
Robert Prowse Miller married Mary Victoria Clark in the district of Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1939 they were living at 46, Spencer’s Road, where Robert was a first salesman shop assistant in the fish, game and poultry section, with their son Robert Greenwill Miller, born September 18th 1939. Robert Prowse Miller of 139, Kingstown Crescent, Dawlish, Devon, died February 18th 1983, Mary Victoria Miller nee Clark , November 12th 2010. As regards their son there are multiple possibilities, if he were alive today he would be 81 years of age.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Thomas Greenwill Miller is remembered at Whorlton on W53.01
