JOHN MILLER THE SOLDIE

"JOHN MILLER THE SOLDIER
John Miller the sailor then found himself on land and for whatever reason became John Miller the soldier. He served in the Zulu, Boer and eventually the Great War. Moving to the Ystradgynlais area in 1887, he may have married then but certainly by 1891 he was married and living in Oddfellows Street with a daughter born in 1888, named Harriet. By 1911 he was living at Pelican Street Ystradgynlais with his wife Mary who was born in Ystradgynlais 1867. They had several more children also born in Ystradgynlais: a son Thomas, born in 1893 now working as a collier, a daughter Margaret born in 1898, and another daughter Fanny Elizabeth born on 28th March 1902. There had been a further child who unfortunately had died prior to 1911.

John's occupation at the time was that of stoker, probably at the Bryn Gorse Colliery Ystradgynlais owned by Edward James, but when he had enlisted at Cardiff for a short duration of the war on 31st January 1917, he had written his occupation as that of Sapper Marine Fireman, assisting in engine room.

As Sapper 235613 he served in the Royal Engineers attaining the rank of sergeant and was working on the cross Channel service (food transporters). He had joined the HS40 named Petrel at Dover sometime in February and crossed from Sandwich Camp to Havre then back to Dover. From Dover they went round to the East Indies Docks in London and had a gun fitted on board. About the beginning of April they sailed for Plymouth and then proceeded to Greenock and towed a hospital ship back to Plymouth. The hospital ship was then taken back to Gibraltar. It was during one of these runs between Dover and Calais, when he was in charge of a food transporter, that his ship was torpedoed. Unfortunately he was severely wounded in the right leg and admitted into a hospital in Poplar around 11th June 1917. On 23rd August 1917 due to his foot injury, he was discharged, as no longer physically fit for war service'

This one is proving difficult to prove either way.

There is little detail for his early army career but have found his latter service papers but no mention of the Zulu War or Boer War to be found.

The medal roll shows 9 J Millers. I can put a first name to 8 of them and that just leaves 4 candidates.

Private 1057 John Miller, 90th
Lance Corporal 45/649 John Miller, 2nd/3rd
Private 45/2341 John Miller, 2nd/3rd
Private 1963 J. Miller, 3rd/60th

So can not say one way or another at the moment.

Andy