A village with a big story
Selected Biographies
Mills, Arthur James[1] – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 3.4.1879.[2] Parent: Sarah Mills (Horsehair Weaver). Family Connections: Brother to Frederick Mills [b1873] and uncle of Frederick William Mills [b1893]. Home: Webbs Alley/Court, The Green, Long Melford (1881 to 1891), Cadges Yard, Westgate Street, Long Melford (1901, 1911), Park View, The Green, Long Melford [1916], 73 Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk [1919], Park View, Long Melford (1921), The Green, Long Melford (1939). Occupation: Wood Carter (1901), Bricklayer’s Labourer for Clement Theobald & Sons, Builders (1911 to 1939). Married: Ada Hardy in 1911. Service Record: Arthur enlisted in 1904 as Pte.L/7741 with 1st Battalion, The Queen’s Own [Royal West Kent] Regiment, posted to France from 15.8.1914 as part of 13th Brigade, 5th Division, and seeing action at the following battles in 1914: Mons, Le Cateau, The Marne, The Aisne, and First Ypres. He was posted to Mesopotamia from 30.6.1916 and transferred as a Sapper, later L/Cpl.262437 to the Electrical Mechanical Section of the Royal Engineers stationed at Basra. His services were deserving of special mention, and he is recorded in the London Gazette of 27.8.1918; being discharged in June 1919. In August 1919 he was diagnosed with malaria, contracted while on active service.[3] Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1945.
Mills, Albert James – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk in 1901. Parents: Harry Edward Mills (Woodman) and Ruth Sarah Ann [née Snell] (Horsehair Weaver). Family Connections: Brother to Wilfred Edward Mills [b1895], William Walter Mills [b1897] and Charles Percy Mills [b1898]; also, brother-in-law of Dennis Edward Reeve [b1892]. Home: High Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Upper Hollands, Long Melford (1921). Occupation: Bricklayer’s Labourer for Clement Theobald & Sons, Builders (1921). Married: Rose Mabel Reynolds in 1927. Service Record: Albert was a member of the Suffolk Home Guard based at Bury St Edmunds during the Second World War. Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1980.[4]
Mills, Bertie – Born: Foxearth, Essex in 1889. Parents: Harry Thomas Turner Mills (Blacksmith) and Karenhappuch [née Cundy]. Family Connections: Brother to Charles William Mills [b1881], Harry Thomas Mills [b1887] and Horace James Mills [b1896]; also, brother-in-law of Samuel Carter [b1894]. Home: Foxearth Road, Foxearth, Essex (1891), Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Borley Road, Rodbridge, Long Melford (1921). Occupation: Jobbing Gardener (1911), Brewer’s Labourer for Ward & Sons, Brewers of Foxearth (1921). Service Record: It is not known if Bertie saw service during the First World War as no definitive record has been found. Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1930.
Mills, Charles Albert – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 28.2.1876.[5] Parents: Henry Richard Mills of Acton, Suffolk (Carpenter) and Charlotte Elliston [née Chinnery]. Family Connections: Uncle of Frederick Mills [b1873], Arthur James Mills [b1879] and William Leslie Donald Mills [b1908]; also, brother-in-law of William Pawsey [b1887] and Charles Cyril Pawsey [b1892]. Home: Station Road, Long Melford (1881, 1891), Rotten Row, Long Melford (1901), St Marys Street, Long Melford (1911), Station Road, Long Melford (1921). Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1901), Horse Shunter for Great Eastern Railway [1917] to (1921). Married: Ada Bertha Pawsey in 1900. Service Record: At the Melford Military Service Tribunal in June 1917 an application was made on Charles behalf by his employer Joseph Byford for his exemption from conscription. This was granted on the condition that he became a member of the Long Melford Volunteer Training Corps.[6] Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1953.
Mills, Charles ‘Percy’ – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 27.4.1898.[7] Parents: Harry Edward Mills (Labourer) and Ruth Sarah Ann [née Snell]. Family Connections: Brother to Wilfred Edward Mills [b1895], William Walter Mills [b1897] and Albert James Mills [b1901]; also, brother-in-law of Dennis Edward Reeve [b1892]. Home: High Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Upper Hollands, Long Melford (1921), 9 Martins Rise, Long Melford (1939). Occupation: Bricklayer’s Labourer for G. C. Gooday, Builder (1921), Public Works Labourer (1939). Married: Mary Ann Mothersole in 1925. Service Record: Charles was conscripted as Rfn.200943 with the Rifle Brigade, later transferring as Pte.633535 to the Labour Corps.[8] During the Second World War he was a member of the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford, being part of ‘H’ Company, 10th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942. His name is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[9] Died: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk in 1983.
Mills, Charles William – Born: Brent Eleigh, Suffolk on 10.5.1881.[10] Parents: Harry Thomas Turner Mills (Blacksmith) and Karenhappuch [née Cundy]. Family Connections: Brother to Harry Thomas Mills [b1887], Bertie Mills [b1889] and Horace James Mills [b1896]; also, brother-in-law of Samuel Carter [b1894]. Home: Acton Green Cottages, Acton, Suffolk (1881), Foxearth Road, Foxearth, Essex (1891), Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1921), The Street, Foxearth (1939). Occupation: Brewer’s Labourer for Ward & Sons of Foxearth (1901 to 1939). Married: Florence Eliza Howard in 1909. Service Record: It is not known if Charles saw service during the First World War as no definitive record has been found. Died: Foxearth, Essex in 1943.
Mills, Cyril Albert – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 18.12.1906.[11] Parents: Charles Albert Mills (Horse Shunter) [see above for details] and Ada Bertha [née Pawsey]. Family Connections: Brother to Harry Jack Mills [b1903]; also, cousin of William Leslie Donald Mills [b1908] and uncle of William Richard Mills [b1924]. Home: St Marys Street, Long Melford (1911), Station Road, Long Melford (1921), 18 Girling Street, Sudbury, Suffolk [1989]. Occupation: General Labourer for J. W. Byford, Coal Merchants (1921), Woodman [1925]. Service Record: Cyril enlisted with his best friend Harry Boreham in 1925 as Gnr.6137192 with 92nd [Gordon Highlanders] Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. This unit was part of the British Expeditionary Force that confronted German Army Group B on its advance into Belgium in May 1940 and was later ordered to retreat to Dunkirk for evacuation to England. Mills was placed on the Army Reserve in November 1941, being recalled in April 1943. He was transferred through several different artillery units before being posted to India in July 1944.[12] Died: Sudbury, Suffolk on 27.2.1989.[13]
Mills, Frederick – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 29.6.1873.[14] Parent: Sarah Mills (Horsehair Weaver). Family Connections: Brother to Arthur James Mills [b1879]; also, uncle of Frederick William Mills [b1893]. Home: Webbs Alley/Court, The Green, Long Melford (1881 to 1891), 3 Palmerston Terrace, Maison Dieu Road, Dover, Kent (1901), Camden Square, Ramsgate, Kent (1911 to 1939), 18 Arklow Square, Ramsgate [1948]. Occupation: Carman’s Assistant (1891), Soldier (1901), Hotel Waiter (1911 to 1939). Married: Antonina ‘Nina’ in 1898.[15] Service Record: Frederick is recorded as a Private in the Suffolk Regiment in 1901.[16] It is not known if he saw service during the First World War as no definitive record has been found. Died: Ramsgate, Kent on 6.10.1948.[17]
Mills, Frederick William – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 13.5.1893.[18] Parents: William Mills (Coconut Mat Trimmer) and Ada Malvina [née Potter] (Horsehair Weaver). Family Connections: Cousin of Wilfred Edward Mills [b1895]; also, nephew of Frederick Mills [b1873] and Arthur James Mills [b1879]. Home: High Street, Long Melford (1901), living with David Sparrow (Uncle) at Dairy Villas, Love Lane, Rayleigh, Essex (1911), Leslie Road, Rayleigh (1921), 48 Trinity Road, Rayleigh (1939). Occupation: Nursery Labourer (1911), Cordite Worker [1917], Cucumber Grower (1921), Gardener (1939). Married: Florence M. Risby in 1926. Service Record: Frederick was conscripted on 19.7.1917 as Ordinary Seaman No. J73931 with the Royal Navy. He served on the cruiser HMS Crescent in 1917 and the sloop HMS Hibiscus in 1918, receiving his discharge in July 1919.[19] Died: Rayleigh, Essex on 25.7.1979.[20]
Mills, Harry Jack – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 13.12.1903.[21] Parents: Charles Albert Mills (Horse Shunter) [see above for details] and Ada Bertha [née Pawsey]. Family Connections: Brother to Cyril Albert Mills [b1906]; also, cousin of William Leslie Donald Mills [b1908] and uncle of William Richard Mills [b1924]. Home: St Marys Street, Long Melford (1911), Station Road, Long Melford (1921), The Bungalow, St Catherines Road, Long Melford (1939). Occupation: General Labourer for J. W. Byford, Coal Merchants (1921), Coal Merchant (1939). Service Record: During the Second World War Harry was probably a member of the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford, being part of ‘H’ Company, 10th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942, as an H. J. Mills is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[22] Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1955.
Mills, Harry Oswin – Born: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire in 1879. Parents: Ben Mills (Grocer’s Clerk) and Francis [née Raynor]. Home: 34 Pretoria Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (1911), 168 Earlham Road, Norwich, Norfolk (19291), Clacton-on-Sea, Essex [1925 to 1932]. Occupation: Accountant and Secretary to a Motor Company (1911), Wholesale Sales Manager for Mann Egerton, Motor Engineers of Norwich (1921). Married: Mabel Jane Vickers in 1906. Service Record: Tractor Representative from the West Suffolk Food Production Department, and an advisor to the Melford War Agricultural Sub-Committee from February 1918. Died: Clacton-on-Sea, Essex on 30.12.1932.[23]
Mills, Harry Thomas ‘Tom’ – Born: Foxearth, Essex on 7.1.1887.[24] Parents: Harry Thomas Turner Mills (Blacksmith) and Karenhappuch [née Cundy]. Family Connections: Brother to Charles William Mills [b1881], Bertie Mills [b1889] and Horace James Mills [b1896]; also, brother-in-law of Samuel Carter [b1894]. Home: Foxearth Road, Foxearth, Essex (1891), Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Pine Toft Lodge, Rushmere, Ipswich, Suffolk (1921), Norwich Road, Creeting St Mary, Suffolk (1939), The Street, Little Waldingfield, Suffolk [1970]. Occupation: Backhouse Boy (1901), Under Gardener (1911), Market Gardener [1915], Gardener (1921 to 1939). Married: Beatrice Margaret Eliza Fayers of Little Waldingfield, Suffolk in 1915. Service Record: Harry was conscripted on 27.6.1916 as Pte.34531 with 3rd [Reserve] Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, transferring on 17.10.1916 as Pte.40378 to 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, then to 10th [Service] Battalion [Grimsby], Lincolns, being posted to France from 19.10.1916 to 15.11.1917 as part of 101st Brigade, 34th Division. This Division saw action during the Somme Offensive of 1916, and The Battles of Arras and Third Ypres in following year. Harry was hospitalised on 16.11.1917 with appendicitis, not returning to active service until June 1918. Upon his return to his unit, he was compulsorily transferred as Pte.64652 to 6th [Service] Battalion, Princess of Wales’s Own [Yorkshire] Regiment [Green Howards] and posted with the North Russian Expeditionary Force to the ice-free port of Murmansk from 15.10.1918. Mill’s battalion was initially part of a military mission code-named ‘Syren Force’, whose role was to arm, train and encourage anti-Bolshevik forces in and around Murmansk. By the beginning of March, the Green Howards had been assigned to ‘Elope Force’ a similar mission operating out of Archangel. The area between the two ports was still in the grip of winter, with temperatures often falling below -30o centigrade, and with the latter city still ice-bound, the 1,000-mile overland journey took weeks to complete. The Red Army was aware of the advancing Allied column from Murmansk and attacked the village of Bolshie Ozerki, which was situated on the road to the railway station at Obozerskaya, where Mills and his comrades were to entrain for Archangel. The small party of French and White Russian defenders was quickly neutralized, and the village occupied. On 23.3.1919 Harry Mill’s Battalion, bolstered by a company of American infantry, made a failed assault from the west of the village, while a similar force from the garrison at Obozerskaya attempted to dislodge the Reds from the east. Any attempts to leave the road and out flank the village, foundered in waist-deep snow. Over the next two days Allied artillery pounded the village but failed to push out the defenders. By the end of the month both sides had concentrated all their available forces on the tiny village. In the intervening days the Allies had built a series of wooden blockhouses and log barricades, added extra field guns, and cobbled together a multi-national force of around 2,000 men. Meanwhile the defenders had drawn in 7,000 Red Army troops and a battery of guns from the Kamyshinsk Division. Every attack by the Bolsheviks was beaten back by shrapnel shells, rifle grenades and machine-gun fire from the blockhouses and barricades. An Allied counterattack on 2nd April met with no greater success than the Soviets had experienced two days earlier. The stalemate limped on for three more days before the Bolsheviks withdrew, leaving the road to Obozerskaya and Archangel open once more. In May Harry Mills was sent for machine gun training, although it is unlikely that this skill was brought to bear as by September, he and the rest of the North Russian Expeditionary Force was being evacuated. The Expedition’s commander in his memoir of the campaign summed-up his frustration thus: ‘… it was carried out by one of the most motley of forces ever created for the purpose of military operations, and under climactic conditions never experienced previously by British troops. This campaign, together with expeditions to the Baltic, the Caucasus, Ukraine, and Vladivostok was an attempt by the Entente powers to support White Russian troops against the Bolshevik Red Army and influence, albeit unsuccessfully, the outcome of the Russian Civil War. Harry was returned safely to England, receiving his discharge in November 1919.[25] Died: Little Waldingfield, Suffolk on 6.9.1970.[26]
Mills, Horace James – Born: Foxearth, Essex on 27.12.1896.[27] Parents: Harry Thomas Turner Mills (Blacksmith) and Karenhappuch [née Cundy]. Family Connections: Brother to Charles William Mills [b1881], Harry Thomas Mills [b1887] and Bertie Mills [b1889]; also, brother-in-law of Samuel Carter [b1894]. Home: Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Borley Road, Rodbridge, Long Melford [1915] to (1921), 2 Kent Cottages, Rodbridge Corner, Long Melford (1939) to [1965]. Occupation: Mineral Water Manufacturer [1915], Brewer’s Labourer for Ward & Sons, Brewers of Foxearth (1921 to 1939). Married: Dorothy Ruth Harvey in 1937. Service Record: Horace enlisted on 30.9.1914 as Pte.1806 with 1/1st Divisional Supply Column, Army Service Corps [East Anglian Division], transferring as L/Cpl.S4/111148 to 257th [Mechanical Transport] Company ASC, posted to France from 15.7.1915 with 19th Divisional Supply Column, and seeing action during the Somme Offensive of 1916 and the Third Battles of Ypres in 1917. He received the Good Conduct Badge in 1917, returning to England in April 1919 where he received his discharge in the following month.[28] Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 30.3.1965.[29]
Mills, Hubert Jennings – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 3.2.1891.[30] Parents: William Jennings Mills (Farmer) and Louisa Gertrude [née Potter]. Family Connections: Brother to Mabel Bessie Mills [b1893]. Home: Rodbridge Farm, Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1891 to 1901), lodging with Matilda Southerton in Downs Park Road, Clapton, London (1911), Rodbridge Farm, Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1921), 13 Knoyle Road, Brighton, Sussex (1939), 56 Ashbourne Avenue, South Woodford, Essex [1955]. Occupation: Clerk for a Wholesale Grocer (1911), Working in a Paper Mill (1921), Motor Engineer [1928], retired Farmer (1939). Service Record: Hubert attended Bedford Middle Class Public School and enlisted on 14.11.1914 as OS. Z/783 with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve as a telegraphist. He was placed with the Royal Navy Public Schools Battalion, London Division, transferring to ‘The Firs’ Wireless Telegraphy School for Signals training, then on to Grimsby Wireless Station from 3.4.1915, until his discharge in 1919.[31] During the Second World War Harry may also have been a member of the Local Defence Volunteers in Long Melford, being part of ‘H’ Company, 10th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942, as an H. J. Mills is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, which was photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944.[32] Died: South Woodford, Essex on 6.9.1955.[33]
Mills, John – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 5.2.1870.[34] Parents: Ward James Mills (Tailor) and Sarah [née Stribling]. Home: Hall Street, Long Melford (1871 to 1881), lodging at Oxenford Lodge, Witley, Surrey (1901), 26 Fairfield Street, Darlington, County Durham (1911), 4, Gladstone Street, Darlington (1921). Occupation: Carpenter (1901), Joiner (1911 to 1921). Married: Jane Hutchinson in 1902. Service Record: John enlisted in 1887 as Spr.21677 with the Royal Engineers, serving six years in Gibraltar and three years in Singapore before being discharged in 1899. It is not known if he saw service during the First World War as no definitive record has been found.[35] Died: Darlington in 1938.
Mills, Mrs Laura Gertrude [née Potter] – Born: Rivenhall, Essex on 24.10.1863.[36] Parents: George Potter (Farmer of Rivenhall) and Fanny [née Grant]. Family Connections: Mother of Mabel Bessie Mills [b1883] see entry above, and Hubert Jennings Mills [b1891]. Home: Hoo Hall, Rivenhall, Essex (1881), Rodbridge Farm, Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1871) to [1928], Chelston, Woodberry Way, Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex (1939), 18A Market Hill, Sudbury, Suffolk [1950]. Married: William Jennings Mills in 1890. Service Record: Mrs Mills acted as a canvasser during the 1917 Long Melford recruiting drive and a member of the Long Melford Women’s Institute from its founding in 1918. Died: Sudbury, Suffolk on 8.8.1950.[37]
Mills, Miss Mabel Bessie – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 15.12.1893.[38] Parents: William Jennings Mills (Farmer) and Laura Gertrude [née Potter]. [See their biographies below and above respectively]. Family Connections: Sister to Hubert Jennings Mills [b1891]. Home: Rodbridge House, Rodbridge, Long Melford (1901) to [1938]. Service Record: Miss Mills was an enumerator during the National Registration in 1915 and a ‘canvasser’ in 1917. Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 20.9.1938.[39]
Mills, William ‘Richard’ – Born: Acton, Suffolk in 1924. Parents: Richard Henry Mills of Long Melford (Woodman) and Elizabeth Anne Woodgate [née Edwards]. Family Connections: Nephew of Harry Jack Mills [b1903] and Cyril Albert Mills [b1906]. Home: Melford Road, Sudbury, Suffolk [1957]. Occupation: Decorator [1957].[40] Married: Doris Carlo in 1949. Service Record: During the Second World War Richard may have been a member of ‘H’ Company, 10th Battalion, Suffolk Home Guard when it was formed in August 1942, as a W. R. Mills is recorded in the official tribute to the organization entitled The Lion Roared his Defiance, which was photographed in and around Long Melford in 1944. [Published by Marten & Son, Ltd., of Market Hill, Sudbury, Suffolk in 1946.]. Died: 2010.
Mills, Wilfred Edward – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 6.8.1895.[41] Parents: Harry Edward Mills (Woodman) and Ruth Sarah Ann [née Snell] (Horsehair Weaver). Family Connections: Brother to William Walter Mills [b1897], Charles Percy Mills [b1898] and Albert James Mills [b1901]; also, brother-in-law of Dennis Edward Reeve [b1892]. Home: High Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Smeetham Hall Lane, Bulmer, Essex [1922] to (1939), 3 Bar Lane, Stapleford, Cambridgeshire [1965].[42] Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1911), Tractor Driver (1939). Married: Ada Amelia Woodgate in 1919.[43] Service Record: Wilfred enlisted in December 1914 as Pte.2857 with 5th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, transferring as Pte.2725 to 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, as part of 22nd Brigade, 7th Division. This unit served on the Western Front until it was sent to Italy at the end of 1917, seeing action throughout 1915, during the Somme Offensive of 1916 and at the Third Battles of Ypres in the following year. At some point he was transferred as Pte.204763 to 18th [Service] Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment. This Battalion was formed late in the War and did not arrive in France until August 1918, joining 16th [Irish] Division under the command of 48th Brigade and taking part in the Final Advance in Artois in October and November 1918.[44] Died: Cambridgeshire in 1974.[45]
Mills, William – Born: Lavenham, Suffolk in 1815. Parents: John Mills (Carpenter) and Mary [née Cross]. Home: The Green, Long Melford (1841 to 1851), Hall Street, Long Melford (1861), 14 South Hill Park, Hampstead, London (1871). Occupation: Carpenter (1841), Master Carpenter (1861 to 1871). Married: Martha Codling [1812-1850] in 1840 and Matilda Perry née Johnson [formally a Domestic Servant at Westgate House]. Social Record: William was a person of interest in the suicide by hanging in April 1840 of a young woman from Long Melford.[46] A Coroner’s Inquest was held on the following morning at the Hare Inn close by the deceased home, an account of which was publicised nationwide and runs as follows: …the body of Sophia Ambrose, who was that morning discovered by her mother, suspended from a linen post in the yard, quite dead. It appears that a young man of the name of [William] Mills, a carpenter, residing at Lavenham, had for some time been paying addresses to the girl, and that he was with her till past nine o’clock on the preceding evening. In his examination before the jury, he stated that nothing of an unpleasant nature had passed between them, and that he left her in a perfectly tranquil and quiet state of mind; but he evinced no remorse or compunction at the melancholy event. The jury, after a few minutes’ deliberation, returned a verdict of Temporary Insanity. But circumstances of a very suspicious character have since come to light, which will probably render it necessary to hold another inquest. A clasp knife was found stuck in the ground near the post on which the girl was found hanging, which belongs to Mills, and it is thought that this knife had been used to cut one end of the linen line from another post to which it was tied. [Author’s Note] There is no surviving trial record or newspaper article to suggest that Mills was ever formally accused or brought to trial.
Mills, William Jennings – Born: Polstead, Suffolk in 1862. Parents: William Jennings Mills of Long Melford (Farmer) and Bessie [née Beaumont]. Family Connections: Father of Mabel Bessie Mills [b1883] see her biography above, and Hubert Jennings Mills [b1891]. Home: Rodbridge Farm, Rodbridge Street, Long Melford (1871) to [1928]. Occupation: Farmer (1891) to [1928]. Married: Laura Gertrude Potter in 1890. Service Record: William was a member of the Melford War Agricultural Sub-Committee from 1917 to 1919. Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 30.11.1928.[47]
Mills, William Leslie Donald – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 2.7.1908.[48] Parents: William Mills (Bricklayer’s Labourer) and Lydia Francis [née Bell]. Family Connections: Nephew of Charles Albert Mills [b1876], and cousin of Harry Jack Mills [b1903] and Cyril Albert Mills [b1906]; also, brother-in-law of Charles Walter Tribe [b1899]. Home: Station Road, Long Melford (1911 to 1921), Homerest Gorse Cottage, Spratts Marsh, Great Horkesley, Essex [1995]. Occupation: Machinist [1926]. Married: Emily Isobel Bateman in 1931. Service Record: William enlisted in November 1926 as Gnr.772315 with the Royal Artillery, receiving his discharge in November 1931.[49] Died: Great Horkesley, Essex on 9.8.1995.[50]
Mills, William ‘Billy’ Walter – Born: Long Melford, Suffolk on 21.2.1897.[51] Parents: Harry Edward Mills (Woodman) and Ruth Sarah Ann [née Snell] (Horsehair Weaver). Family Connections: Brother to Wilfred Edward Mills [b1895], Charles Percy Mills [b1898] and Albert James Mills [b1901]; also, brother-in-law of Dennis Edward Reeve [b1892]. Home: High Street, Long Melford (1901 to 1911), Bridge Street, Long Melford (1921), Home Farm, Copped Hall, Epping, Essex (1939). Occupation: Paper Boy (1911), Stockman (1921 to 1939). Married: Gertrude Minnie Woodgate in 1920. Service Record: Although no extant military record has been found, photographic evidence shows that he served overseas with one of the Essex Regiment battalions that formed part of 1631st [Essex] Brigade, 54th [East Anglian] Division.[52] If this assumption is correct then he saw action at Gallipoli in 1915, Egypt in 1916 and the gruelling Palestine Campaign of 1917/1918. Died: Epping, Essex in 1982. [53]
Related Biographies
Carter, Samuel – Born: Great Cornard, Suffolk on 18.9.1894.[54] Parents: Charles Carter and Rosina [née Symonds]. Family Connections: Brother-in-law of Charles William Mills [b1881], Harry Thomas Mills [b1887], Bertie Mills [b1889] and Horace James Mills [b1896]. Home: Upper Tye, Great Cornard, Suffolk (1901 to 1911), Cemetery Lodge, Newton Road, Sudbury, Suffolk (1939). Occupation: Under Gardener (1911), Cemetery Superintendent (1939). Married: Grace Mildred Mills resident of Long Melford in 1934. Service Record: Sam was conscripted as Pte.242276 with the Suffolk Regiment, later transferring as Pte.416740 to the Labour Corps.[55] Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1978.
Reeve, Dennis Edward – Born: Belchamp Otten, Essex on 10.8.1892. Parents: Daniel Reeve (Horsekeeper on Farm) and Ellen [née Chapman]. Family Connections: Father to Cyril Edward Reeve [b1923] and father-in-law of Leslie George Gardiner [b1926]; also, brother-in-law of Wilfred Edward Mills [b1895], William Walter Mills [b1897], Charles Percy Mills [b1898] and Albert James Mills [b1901]. Home: Manor Farm, Belchamp Otten, Essex (1901), Gridleys Farm, Belchamp Otten (1911), 10 High Street, Long Melford (1939). Occupation: Agricultural Labourer (1911), Head Horsekeeper, Thatcher and Milker on High Street Farm, Long Melford [1916 and 1917], Cowman (1939). Married: Kate Elizabeth Mills of Long Melford in 1916. Service Record: At the Melford Military Service Tribunal in March 1916 Dennis’s employer George Deeks, applied for his exemption, which was granted for six months. A second attempt by Deeks in October to have the period extended, was granted on the condition that a substitute be found to take his place in the Army. This condition may not have been met because in February 1917 Deeks again arguing the importance of Reeve to the running of his farm; this appears to have persuaded the panel to let the existing condition stand but with the proviso that he joined the Long Melford Volunteer Training Corps. It is not known if such a substitute was forthcoming, or if his certificate remained valid until the end of hostilities, however no definitive military record has been found to suggest otherwise. Died: Sudbury, Suffolk in 1983.[56]
Tribe, Charles Walter – Born: Fulham, London on 31.10.1899.[57] Parents: William Tribe (Cabman) and Ellen Lucy [née Perry]. Family Connections: Brother-in-law of William Leslie Donald Mills of Long Melford [b1908]. Home: 15 Maxwell Road, Fulham, London (1901), 41 Glebe Street, Chiswick, Middlesex (1911), 2 Station Road, Long Melford [1932 to 1978]. Occupation: Motor Driver [1917], Petrol Pump Fitter [1932] to (1939). Married: Doris Lucy Janet Mills of Long Melford in 1932. Service Record: Charles was conscripted on 16.11.1917 as Aircraft Mechanic No. F41702 with the Royal Naval Air Service. On 1.4.1918 he was transferred as No. 241702 to the Royal Air Force, being posted to Zanzibar in East Africa in May 1918. In the following November he was transferred to No. 206 Squadron in France. By the time of the Second World War Charles Tribe is recorded as a member of the village Air Raid Precaution section, responsible for demolition and in 1952 is one of the Officers and Committee Members of the Long Melford Football Club.[58] Died: Long Melford, Suffolk on 17.3.1978.[59]
Notes – [1] On the 1939 Register for Long Melford he is recorded as James A. Mills. [2] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 5.10.1879, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [3] Recorded as a ‘Soldier’ at the baptism of his son, see Baptism Register 1.11.1914, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372]. See the Infectious Diseases Register of Medical Certificates Received for 12.8.1919 [Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk Record Office ref: EF501/4/20]. This document also lists other men who appear in this Nominal Roll and were also diagnosed with malaria shortly after returning home, namely: William Charles Boar [b1877], George William Cook [b1897], Ernest George Deeks [b1883], Jack Eady [b1892], Ernest Hume [b1882] and James Nice [b1878]. [4] My sincere thanks to Claire Dove for sharing this image and bringing this veteran to my attention. [5] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 25.12.1876, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [6] For the Tribunal’s ruling see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 6.6.1917. [7] 1939 Register. [8] Medal Roll [WO 329] and Medal Index Card [WO 372]. [9] Published by Marten & Son, Ltd., of Market Hill, Sudbury, Suffolk in 1946. [10] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Halstead Rural District in Essex. [11] Date of birth from Death Register. [12] Surrey, England, Regimental Rolls and Recruitment Registers, 1908-1947 and World War II Royal Artillery Tracer Cards, 1939-1948. [13] National Probate Calendar. [14] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 14.8.1873, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford; the 1939 Register however gives his birth date as 30.6.1873. [15] Spouse’s name and year of marriage implied from the UK Census for 1911. [16] Military status is taken from the UK Census for 1901. [17] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [18] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 2.7.1893, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [19] Royal Navy Registers of Seaman’s Services [ADM 188/794]. [20] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [21] 1939 Register. [22] Published by Marten & Son op. cit. [23] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [24] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Gipping Rural District in Suffolk and Death Index. [25] For details of 10th Lincoln’s movements see War Diary [WO 95/2457/1]. See also his Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372]. The quotation is taken from the preface of Major-General Sir C. Maynard The Murmansk Venture [Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, reprinted 2010]. [26] National Probate Calendar. [27] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Long Melford. [28] Soldiers’ Documents, First World War ‘Burnt Documents’ [WO 363], Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372]. [29] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [30] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 3.3.1891, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [31] Royal Naval Division: Records of Service [ADM 339/028/4] and Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329]. [32] Published by Marten & Son op. cit. [33] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [34] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 6.3.1870, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [35] Military details taken from the Royal Hospital Pensioner Soldier Service Records. [36] Date of birth from the 1939 register for Frinton and Walton in Essex. [37] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [38] Date of birth from Baptism Register 15.12.1893, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [39] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [40] Address and occupation from Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 20.3.1957. [41] Date of birth from the Baptism Register 6.10.1895, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [42] Selected addresses from the Electoral Roll for Bulmer and Stapleford. [43] Recorded as a Soldier [Unit unknown] see Marriage Register 24.5.1919, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [44] Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329] and Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372]. [45] Image courtesy of Claire Dove. [46] See article in The Globe 28.4.1840. [47] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar. [48] 1939 Register. [49] 1931. Royal Artillery Attestations 1883-1942. [50] National Probate Calendar. [51] Baptism Register of 28.5.1897 for Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. [52] 1/4th, 1/5th, 1/6th and 1/7th Battalion, Essex Regiment were all part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. [53] My sincere thanks to Billy’s great niece Claire Dove for bringing this veteran to my attention. [54] 1939 Register. [55] Service Medal and Award Rolls 1914-1918 [WO 329], Service Medal and Award Rolls Index Cards 1914-1922 [WO 372], and WWI Pension Record Cards and Ledgers [ref: 037/0132/CAR-CAR/11/M/279223]. [56] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Long Melford. For the Tribunal’s rulings see Suffolk and Essex Free Press 29.3.1916, 25.10.1916 and 28.2.1917. [57] Date of birth from the 1939 Register for Long Melford. [58] Royal Navy Registers of Seaman’s Services [ADM 188/633] and Air Member for Personnel and predecessors: Airman’s Records [AIR 79/2176]. [59] Date of death from the National Probate Calendar.
Genealogical Tables
