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Auction: 23113 - Orders, Decorations and Medals - e-Auction
Lot: 448

Three: 2nd Lieutenant W. R. G. Mills, Royal Field Artillery, who was killed in action on 16 February 1917, who was also a published Poet

British War and Victory Medal (2.Lieut. W. R. G. Mills.); Great War Bronze Memorial Plaque (William Robert Granville Mills) extremely fine (3)

William Robert Granville Mills was born on 31 December 1897, he was the son of Granville Mills, formerly an official of the Indian Public Works Department, and Cordelia Mills, nee Roberts. He was educated firstly at Eagle House School in Sandhurst and then went to Winchester in September 1911. Mills was a School Prefect in his final year and won the Warden and Fellow's Prizes for English Verse and English Essay and the Headmaster's Prize for French, and also played in the College Rugby XV.

In 1915, William was elected to the Senior Classical Scholarship at Christ Church, Oxford and he left Winchester in December 1915. His scholarship was deferred and in January 1916 he was gazetted to the Royal Field Artillery. William then went out to the front on 1 July 1916 to join the 103rd Brigade.

Whilst working on the Ypres Salient on 16 February 1917 "It was a hot corner and his captain said "Let us be moving". Billy replied, "Oh, let us stick it out": then came the fatal shell, the captain was wounded and Billy Mills was numbered with our noble dead.

Mills was buried in the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground.

A volume containing some of his poems and letters was printed for private circulation in 1918 by Messrs. B. H. Blackwell Poems and Letters of William R G Mills and in November 1917 a poem written in his memory by Claude Hamilton appeared in The Wykehamist, Issue 569.

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Sold for
£1,600

Starting price
£140