Capt Arthur de Bells Adam (MC)
1885 - 1916

CPL David Wallace Crawford
1887 - 1916

Lce-Corpl John Joseph Nickle
1894 - 1916

Pte 17911 Morton Neill
1897 - 1916

Lieut Edward Stanley Ashcroft
1883 - 1918

Pte 15502 Thomas Andrew McMillin

Age: 25
From: Liverpool
Regiment: 13th KLR
Died on Wednesday 18th April 1917
Commemorated at: Etaples Mil Cem
Panel Ref: XIX.D.5A

Thomas Andrew (Tom) McMillin was born in the summer of 1891 the son of Andrew McMillin and his wife Amelia Martha (née Mace). He was baptised in St. Simon’s Church, Liverpool, on 19th August 1891. His parents at the time were living at 3 Upper Baker Street, West Derby Road, and his father’s occupation was joiner. His father, from County Antrim, and his mother, born in Leeds, married in Liverpool in 1889 and had five children, two of whom lived to adulthood. Tom had an older brother James Mace Sutton, born in 1890, and younger siblings William 1893, Amelia 1894 (died at 20 months), and Richard Benjamin 1895 (who died at seven months). In the mid-1890s the family lived at 17 Lavan Street.

At the time of the 1901 census his father, aged 39, is found at 27 Thurnham Street, near Newsham Park, occupation joiner/employer. His mother Amelia, 35, with James, 11, Thomas, 9, and William, 8, are in in Llangollen, boarding at 3-4 Mill Street with Evan and Mary Lloyd and family.

At the time of the 1901 census his father, aged 39, is found at 27 Thurnham Street, near Newsham Park, occupation joiner/employer. His mother Amelia, is aged 35, with James, 11, Thomas, 9, and William, 8, are in in Llangollen, boarding at 3-4 Mill Street with Evan and Mary Lloyd and family.

The family were living in Thurnham street in 1904 when his elder brother James died at the age of 14.

By 1911 they have moved to 20 Walton Park, off Rice Lane, Walton, a semi detached house with eight rooms. His father is 50, a joiner/office fitter, employer, and his mother is 44. Thomas, 19, and William, 18, are apprentices to their father.

His father’s business premises were at 1 & 3 Edmund Street, Old Hall Street, “All kinds of office fittings and furniture in stock”.

Intriguingly, Tom 21, and William McMillin, 19, are found travelling together to Australia, arriving in Queensland in 1912 (Index to Nominated immigrants and Nominators 1905 to 1928). No further passenger records have been found.

He enlisted at St George's Hall in Liverpool joined the 17th Bn as Private 15502.

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 07^th November 1915.

During the attack at Montauban on 01st July 1916 he received a Gun Shot Wound to his right arm. He was admitted to 13 Corps Collecting Post then admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station the same day 01/7/16. Further admitted to 1 Stationary Hospital 03/7/16. Eventually he returned to England on the HS Dieppe on 20/10/16. He was treated at Queen Mary’s Military Hospital in Whalley, Lancashire, south of Clitheroe, was about 50 miles from Liverpool. It is probable that his parents were able to visit him there.

Upon rehabilitation he transferred to the 13th Battalion of the Kings Liverpool Regiment.

The Battalion War Diary shows them in February 1917 in billets for training at Ourton then at Houvin. They marched to Denier on the 28th and were in billets practicing attacks, until marching to Arras on the 17th March. They remained in billets providing working parties, with occasional casualties killed and wounded.

On 8th April the battalion moved up to assembly trenches at 9-10 p.m.

On the first day of the Battle of Arras, April 9th, the 13th Bn attacked at 7 a.m. The right assaulting company took HARFLEUR TRENCH without difficulty, but the left company owing to the heavy fire were at first unable to enter the trench. The fact that they did so eventually is due to the sound leadership of the officers and the undeniable spirit of the men. Difficulty was experienced in advancing through TILLOY WOOD owing to the fact that it was strongly wired, and little of the wire had been cut. Hostile snipers caused a number of casualties owing to their good shooting and good positions, which could not be readily discovered. The barrage put up by our artillery was very effective and greatly assisted the men to gain their final objective, i.e., the village of TILLOY, by 8:30 a.m.

19 Officers and 449 men of the enemy were taken prisoners by this battalion, also 7 machine guns, 2 trench mortars, 1 bomb thrower, and vast quantities of M.G. ammunition in belts, S.A.A. bombs, and trench mortar ammunition.

Casualties killed and wounded: 8 Officers, 170 O.R.

Tom was wounded in action on the 09th April and succumbed to his wounds nine days later on 18th April 1917, aged 25 and now rests at Etaples Military Cemetery where his headstone bears the epitaph:

"HIS THOUGHTS AND DEEDS WERE ALWAYS FOR OTHERS.NEVER HIMSELF".

During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and accessible by railway from both the northern or the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals, which included eleven general, one stationary, four Red Cross hospitals and a convalescent depot, could deal with 22,000 wounded or sick. In September 1919, ten months after the Armistice, three hospitals and the Q.M.A.A.C. convalescent depot remained.

The cemetery contains 10,771 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, the earliest dating from May 1915. 35 of these burials are unidentified.

Hospitals were again stationed at Etaples during the Second World War and the cemetery was used for burials from January 1940 until the evacuation at the end of May 1940. After the war, a number of graves were brought into the cemetery from other French burial grounds. Of the 119 Second World War burials, 38 are unidentified.

Etaples Military Cemetery also contains 662 Non-Commonwealth burials, mainly German, including 6 unidentified. There are also now 6 Non World War service burials here.

The cemetery, the largest Commission cemetery in France, was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

His parents placed a notice in the Liverpool Echo on 11th May 1917:

“April 19 [sic], died in hospital of wounds received in action, aged 25 years, Private Thomas A. (Tom), (K.L.R.), the dearly-beloved eldest son of A. and M. McMillin of 79 Tithebarn Street and late of 60 Clarendon Road, Egremont.”

A report of his death appeared in the Daily Post and Liverpool Mercury on 12th May 1917:

Private T.McMillin,. the eldest son of Mr.A.McMillin, late of 60 Clarendon-road, Egremont and now of 79 Tithebarn-street, Liverpool has died in a hospital in France from wounds received in action. The gallant young soldier who was 25 years of age, went to France with the Liverpool "Pals," and was wounded on July 1 at the battle of the Somme. He was invalided home, and recovered at the military hospital in Whalley. Subsequently he was attached to another battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment and was wounded in the battle of ----. He was removed to No 7 Canadian General Hospital France where he died.

His death was also reported in the Liverpool Weekly Courier on Saturday 19 May 1917;

He was invalided home and on recovering was attached to another Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment and was fatally wounded in the Battle of Arras.

On the first anniversary of his death, In Memoriam notices were placed in the local paper:

“In loving memory of Private Thomas McMillin, K.L.R. (our dear Tom), the dearly beloved eldest son of Andrew and Amelia McMillin, who died at the Military Hospital, Etaples, of wounds received in action on Easter Monday. - 3, Annesley Road, Wallasey.”

And a tribute from his comrades:

“McMillin - In memory of Tom, K.L.R., who died of wounds received in action April 18, 1917. (One of the best.) Never forgotten by Alec, Joe, and George (in France).”

Tom earned his three medals. His father received his son’s Army effects and a War Gratuity of £12. No pension card has been found, suggesting that Tom had no dependents, or that his parents made no claim.

His brother William served as Lance Corporal 1755 with the Royal Army Medical Corps and received the Military Medal. He was discharged in March 1919.

A report of his award was included in the Liverpool Echo on Friday 14 September 1917;

LOCAL MEDALLISTS.

Lance-Corporal W. M'Millin, R.A.M.C., has been awarded the Military Medal. He joined at the commencement of the war, and has been in France for nearly two years. He resides with his parents 3, Annesley-road, Poulton.

Tom earned his three medals. His father received his son’s Army effects, Army Pay of £16 15s 3d and a War Gratuity of £12. No pension card has been found, suggesting that Tom had no dependents, or that his parents made no claim.

Probate in the amount of £133-19s was granted to his father, giving Tom‘s address as 3 Annesley Road, Seacombe, and his place of death as 7 Canadian General Hospital, Etaples.

On the 1921 Census at 3 Annesley Road, Wallasey, his father, Andrew, is aged 60, his mother, Amelia, is aged 55, and William is aged 22, and a joiner.

His mother died in Birkenhead in 1930 aged 65 and was buried on the 24th December at Anfield Cemetery. His father in Liverpool in 1935 aged 74. It is not known what became of his brother William. A William McMillin of the right age, 59, died in Middlesex in 1952.

Tom is commemorated on Wallasey War Memorial and the Wallasey Roll of Honour now in Wallasey Library, Earlston Road.

We currently have no further information on Thomas Andrew McMillin. If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.

Killed On This Day.

(109 Years this day)
Wednesday 18th April 1917.
Pte 52026 Peter Peterson
27 years old

(109 Years this day)
Wednesday 18th April 1917.
2nd Lieut Percival Graham Statton
22 years old

(109 Years this day)
Wednesday 18th April 1917.
Pte 15502 Thomas Andrew McMillin
25 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Cpl 57698 Harold Burton
21 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 59347 William Eves
36 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 202844 Loammi Farey
30 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 49547 Stanley James GaskIll
38 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 203773 Lawrence Green
38 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 50020 Thomas Hollidge
19 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 27143 Richard George West Jones
40 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 54115 John Patrick Kavanagh
25 years old

(108 Years this day)
Thursday 18th April 1918.
Pte 31798 Peter Edward Lawler
32 years old

A total of 18 Pals were killed on this day. View All