 |
SKELTON - IN - CLEVELAND
IN HISTORY
|
 |
"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"
R/1773 Able Seaman WILLIAM EDWIN MILLS.
Hood Battalion. Royal Naval Division, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
Killed in action, aged 23, on the 30th December 1917.
Son of Peter and Mary Mills, of 7, North Terrace, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Yorks.
Husband of Ethel Beatrice Symons (formerly Mills, nee Emmerson).
|
The Thiepval Memorial.
|
|
FAMILY:-
1911. William, aged 16, is living at the Poultry House, next to Barns Farm, Skelton. He had been born at Coundon, Co Durham.
His Father, Peter, aged 42, was the Gamekeeper for Skelton Castle. He had been born in St Boswells, Roxburgh.
His Mother, Mary, aged 39, had been born at Tivier-head, Roxburgh. She had had 2 children and William was the only one living.
At the time of his death William was married to Ethel Beatrice and his parents by the end of the War had moved to 7 North Terrace, Skelton.
WAR SITUATION
The Royal Navy had a surplus of men to ships and they were organised into the Royal Naval Division.
They fought as soldiers with a rifle in khaki, but retained Naval traditions.
The Hood Battalion was part of the 63rd Royal Naval Division.
At the time of William E Mills' death, his Battalion were fighting in an area near Cambrai called "Welsh Ridge".
From the 20th November to the 7th December they had fought in the Battle of Cambrai, which was a British offensive against the formidable Hindenberg Line.
It was penetrated at a weak point and the Germans driven back some 4 miles.
They quickly reinforced and responded, regaining half the lost ground.
By the end of December William's Battalion were defending the Front shown by the Red Line.
|
|
At 6.30 a,m. on the 30th December the 63rd Division’s front was heavily bombarded for fifteen minutes followed by a infantry attack,
with Flammenwerfer [Flamethrowers] detachments. British fire took toll of the Germans, but at many points the "Boche" entered the forward trenches, where the defenders had suffered heavily from the German bombardment.
William Mills was killed at some time in this action.
MEMORIAL:-
The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave.
|
William [Billy] Mills had married Ethel Emmerson of Hollybush Farm, Skelton on the 6th June 1917, but they had only a short time together before Billy had to join his Unit.
The date of his enlistment is not presently known.
After his death Ethel lived at Hollybush Farm until she married Harry Froud Symons in 1920.
See Orphans of Hollybush Farm here.
They then lived at 7 North Tce, Skelton until 1925, when they emigrated to Chicago. They had a child in Skelton called Stanley.
Stanley's daughter Sharon contacted and visited Josie Bland of Skelton in 2019, as a result of family research into the Emmerson family.
Among the few items that Ethel had taken to America was an embroidery that commemorated Billy and their marriage.
She sent photographs to Josie, who has kindly contributed them and the above information.
|
|
