Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Robert Mills, a wool stocking maker, born 16th February 1871 in Shepshed, Leicestershire and baptised on the 26th March 1871 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed and his wife Hanna Hudson (Anna) Mills (nee Tivey, married on the 13th October 1890 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed), born 22nd February 1871 in Shepshed. John Owen was born in the 2nd quarter of 1896 in Shepshed and was baptised on the 14th June 1896 in St. Botolph’s Church, Shepshed, his siblings were, Emma, born in the 1st quarter of 1892 and Sarah Lucy, born 16th October 1893, both his siblings were born in Shepshed, in March 1901 the family home was at Factory Street, Shepshed. In April 1911 John was employed as a shoe trade riveter and was residing in the family home at The Lant, Shepshed, together with his father a hand framework knitter of wool rib hose, his mother and siblings, Emma, a hosiery trade wool runner on, Lucy, a hosiery trade wool minder, Leonard, a schoolboy, born 17th February 1905, William, a schoolboy, born 2nd February 1907, Sidney, born 7th August 1909 and Thelma Mary G., born 23rd March 1911, the latter four siblings were all born in Shepshed. Another sibling Arthur Austin Mills, was born on 5th March 1913 in Shepshed. John’s father died on the 5th June 1948 in Shepshed aged 77 and his mother died in March 1951, in Shepshed, aged 80.
John enlisted/attested into the Regular Army on the 1st September 1914 in Loughborough, and was allotted the service number 8/12572. He gave his place of birth as Shepshed, Loughborough, Leicestershire and age as 19 years. His marital status was given as unmarried and his trade or calling as lace hand.
His medical examination took place in Loughborough on the 1st September 1914 and recorded his apparent age as 19 years, that he was 5-feet 5 inches in height, weighed 127 lbs, had a chest measurement of between 32½ and 35 inches, his complexion was described as fresh, he had brown eyes and his hair colour was black. He gave his religion as Church of England.
He gave his next of kin as his father, Robert Mills, mother, Hanna Mills, brother, Leonard Mills, sister, Emma Mills.
During his period of military service, the following events of note occurred: -
Joined. Depot Leicestershire Regt. Pte. 1/9/14.
Posted. 8th (Service) Bn. Leicestershire Regt. Pte. 24/9/14.
Embarked. Folkestone. 28/7/15.
Appointed. Lance Corporal (unpaid). In the Field. 28/6/16.
Wounded. In the Field. 15/7/16.
Admitted. To 2/2nd London Field Ambulance suffering from a bayonet wound to the leg. In the Field. 15/7/16.
Admitted. To 64th Field Ambulance. In the Field. 15/7/16.
Admitted. To 22nd General Hospital, Etaples. 16/7/16.
Received. At 12th Infantry Brigade Depot, from Hospital. Etaples. 31/7/16.
Posted. To 7th Bn. Leicestershire Regt. In the Field. 16/8/16.
Joined. 7th Bn. Leicestershire Regt. In the Field. 18/8/16.
Posted. To 8th Bn. Leicestershire Regt. In the Field. 6/9/16.
Joined. 8th Bn. Leicestershire Regt. In the Field. 7/9/16.
Appointed. Acting Corporal. In the Field. 25/9/16.
Appointed. Acting Lance Sergeant (paid). In the Field. 25/9/16.
Confirmed. In Rank of Corporal. In the Field. 18/11/16.
Appointed. Acting Sergeant. In the Field. 22/11/16.
Detailed. For 2 months training at Base. In the Field. 7/1/17.
Arrived from Front. Calais. 7/2/17.
Arrived from Front. Instructor. Etaples. 1/4/17.
Granted 1st Class Proficiency Pay. In the Field. 15/5/17.
Re-joined. 8th Bn. Leicestershire Regt. In the Field. 6/6/17.
Transferred. To 21st Division, Etaples. 9/6/17.
Confirmed. In Rank of Sergeant. In the Field. 18/9/17.
Killed in action. In the Field. 1/10/17.
Summary of Service.
Home Service. 1/9/14 – 28/7/15. 331. Days.
Expeditionary Force, France. 29/7/15 – 1/10/17. 2 years 65 days.
Total Service. 3 years 30 days.
He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
In September 1940, as the result of a fire caused by an incendiary bomb at the War Office Record Store in Arnside Street, London, approximately two thirds of 6.5 million soldiers’ documents for the First World War were destroyed. Those records which survived were mostly charred or water damaged and unfit for consultation and became known as the “burnt documents.” As a consequence, the content and condition of the surviving records can range from good to extremely poor. The hand written information is, in some instances barely legible, and the number of pages that should comprise a full record, in some cases are either badly damaged or missing entirely, however where possible the available information has been transcribed so that it may at least offer the reader a little descriptive insight into some, if not all of the events and background information surrounding the period of service.
The War Diary records: 1 Oct-17 - FRONT LINE. The night was extremely quiet, the absence of hostile shelling was particularly noticeable. At 5.30am a heavy hostile barrage was placed on the front line, and 100 yards west of the road in J.10.a central. This was maintained until 6.00am when it became evident that a hostile counter attack on the 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT was in progress. The S.O.S. was sent up by the 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT on the right, also by this Battalion, and a heavy barrage was placed on and in front of the enemy lines. Heavy Lewis Gun and rifle fire was immediately brought to bear on the threatened flank. A few minutes after 6.00am, a message was received from the 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT that the enemy had gained possession of their front line. About 6.30am, small parties of the enemy were seen about JOIST FARM J.10.d.2.0. moving by short rushes towards our right front-line Company and threatening to turn the right flank of the Battalion. Heavy Lewis Gun and rifle fire was opened on the enemy, who suffered casualties and were unable to make any progress down the slope towards the front line. About this time the intensity of our barrage lessened, and towards 7.00am ceased altogether. Between 7.00 and 10.30am the enemy made repeated attempts to advance against the open flank of the Battalion, but was driven back on each occasion by rifle and Lewis Gun fire. During this period, it was found that the 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT had been reinforced by two Companies of the 7th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT and were holding the line of the road running North and South in J.10.a. A defensive flank was formed from the right flank of “B” Company J.10.d.35.50. to Battalion Headquarters at J.10.c.5.5. The right support Company (“A”) moved up to the road and linked up with Battalion Headquarters on the left, and the left Company of the 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT on the right. At 10.15am Captain J. B. MATTHEWS with the left support company (“D”) moved from its position J.10.a.3.2 in order to make a counter attack against the enemy holding the high ground in the vicinity of JOIST FARM. Unfortunately, Captain J. B. MATTHEWS M.C. was killed instantly by a sniper when making a personal reconnaissance preparatory to the attack, and at 10.30am the hostile artillery put down a heavy barrage on the east side of POLYGON WOOD consequently this counter thrust did not materialise. This heavy hostile barrage was kept up until 1.00pm at which hour the shelling ceased, but no further hostile attack took place. At 2.00pm small parties of the enemy were seen moving about the south west edge of JETTY WARREN, but were dispersed by rifle fire, shortly afterwards a hostile Machine Gun opened traversing fire along the road in J.10.c. central, and Lieutenant Colonel UTTERSON D.S.O. was hit in the arm by a bullet. At 3.10pm a determined effort was made by the enemy 10 or 12 strong to move down the slope from JOIST FARM towards Battalion Headquarters but the attempt was stopped by rifle fire from the Battalion Headquarters concrete emplacement, the enemy retiring and leaving several dead behind them. No further attempt to advance was made by the enemy and the remainder of the afternoon passed quietly. At 6.10pm the S.O.S. signal was put up by the Brigade on the right and an exceptionally heavy barrage was placed on the enemy lines by our artillery. No hostile attack developed and at 8.00pm the barrage ceased. At 8.05pm the enemy attempted a counter attack against the ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS on the left. The S.O.S. was again sent up and a second barrage of an hour’s duration was placed on enemy lines. The counter attack was beaten back with loss to the enemy. The remainder of the night passed quietly and at dawn a protective barrage was formed by our artillery lasting for 15 minutes.
The following is an extract taken from the publication, “Soldiers of Shepshed Remembered 1914 – 1919, “written by Russell Fisher. Troubadour Publishing Ltd (8th December 2008). The article is reproduced by kind permission of the author.
The Salient, however, had not yet finished with the Leicestershire Regiment. On the night of the 30th September, the 8th Battalion entered the line, taking over a sector from Australian troops. The front line existed in name only, consisting of overlapping shell holes and short sections of captured German trench that remained intact. The survivors of Shepshed’s contingent were grouped mostly with “C” Company on the far left of the Leicester’s frontage, and here they spent an uncomfortable first evening shivering in the cold as no arrangements had been made to bring up their blankets.
At the end of the Leicester’s right flank, Sergeant John Owen Mills of Leicester Road, Shepshed held the line with the men of “B” Company. John had joined up in September 1914, and despite his youthful twenty-one years, was very much a battle-hardened veteran whose leadership qualities had earned him a series of promotions since the Somme battles of 1916. Accepting the discipline of a uniformed organisation and working as a team were qualities inculcated at a much earlier age, as he had served as a bugler in the Church Lad’s Brigade, and had played for the Parish Church Cricket Club and Shepshed United FC.
The first night in Polygon Wood passed peacefully enough and the men were able to snatch a few hours rest. At 5.30am an early morning alarm call in the form of multiple shell bursts sent the slumbering Leicester’s scurrying for cover, the enemy bombardment persisting for thirty minutes. To the right of the 8th Leicester’s, the 9th Battalion sent up SOS flares, calling upon their own artillery to shell the German trenches as hundreds of the enemy were observed massing for attack, no doubt intending to recapture the trenches lost to the Aussies a few days earlier.
The German infantry began their advance across no-man’s-land, only to be met by sustained rifle and Lewis Gun fire, but on the 9th Battalion’s front, groups of the enemy successfully infiltrated the British trenches, forcing their evacuation. “B” Company of the 8th Battalion now found that their right flank lay dangerously exposed, as the Germans pressed home their attack, advancing down a slope towards the entrenched defenders in short, determined rushes covered by sniper fire. The situation was very much on a knife edge, and in the frantic fire fight that ensued, one German sniper found his mark with deadly accuracy, causing Sergeant John Mills to fall to the ground with mortal wounds to the head.
As the 8th Battalion struggled to hold on, two companies of the 7th Battalion rushed to their aid, successfully stemming the enemy advance. By 10.00am, the situation had stabilised, enabling the Leicester’s to mount their own counter-attack. Throughout that day, parties of German infantry attempted to find a way into the Leicester’s line, each time beaten back by the tenacity of the defenders. Every aborted attack was reprised with a short barrage from the German gunners, in a pattern that continued until their commanders finally switched their attention to another part of the line, much to the relief of the exhausted Leicester’s. When the Leicester’s were finally relieved on the night of the 2nd/3rd October, the casualties of the 8th Battalion alone numbered eleven officers and 175 other ranks. The 9th Battalion had suffered similarly, and it was decided to temporarily amalgamate the two battalions such were the combined losses.