Joseph Charles Miller was born in Lewes, Sussex in 1886;
one of at least seven children of Benjamin and Harriet Miller. He appears on
the 1901 census of England and Wales as a fifteen year old living at Anchor Cottage, Barcombe with his family. The household comprised 53 year old Benjamin (a miller’s carter), His 52 year
old wife Harriet (a caretaker) and three sons: William Richard Miller (aged 21; a miller’s carter), Joseph Charles Miller
(a carter’s apprentice) and Edgar Stanley Miller (a 12 year old scholar).
There were at least four other children too. Albert Miller, born in Mayfield,
appears on the 1891 census as a sixteen year old gardener while Edward Alfred Miller (aged nine) and Alice Jane Miller (aged
seven) were scholars. Albert had the middle initial J although this only appears
on the 1881 census. By the time the 1901 census was taken, he was living in Mayfield
with a young family of his own (and coincidentally living next door to another Albert Miller). Alice Miller was working as a housemaid at Little Buckingham Farm, Old Shoreham. I can find no trace of Edward.
Elizabeth Rosa Miller, aged three, appears on the 1881 census. She was
born at Lewes and her birth registered there in the June quarter of 1877.
Joseph, a married man with a family, was 29 years and eight months old when he attested with the Royal Garrison Artillery
on 16th November 1915. He had married Clara Wilks at St John’s Parish Church,
Lewes on 22nd February 1913 and the couple had two children: Margaret Alice, born at Wivelsfield on 22nd February 1914 and
Clara Mabel born at Lewes on 25th January 1916. At the time of his attestation,
Joseph was working as head gardener and living at the Hall Lodge Wivelsfield. Those
same particulars are also recorded on his marriage certificate.
He almost certainly attested under the Derby Scheme, although it is not until July 1916 that Chailey Parish Magazine
first mentions him, noting Miller, Gnr J C, RGA, England. In fact, Joseph had been
mobilized on the 31st May 1916. His surviving attestation paper records, No 1 Depot, RGA, 3rd June 1916, Fort Burgoyne,
Dover.
Joseph was given the army service number 90669 and posted to what looks like, the Heavy [Battery] Depot on 24th June
1916 and then, exactly two months later, to the 179th Heavy Battery. He was posted
to the 173rd Battery on 18th July 1916 and then back to the Heavy Depot in October that year. He appears to have remained there until sent abroad on the 19th March 1917.
His surviving papers record that he was sent to the 3rd Army Pool on 5th April 1917 and then to No 210 Siege Battery
on the 11th April. He was admitted to hospital in France on 23rd August [reason unknown] but rejoined his unit on the 31st. Within a month however, he was dead, dying of wounds on 29th September 1917.
There is conflicting information on Joseph’s surviving service papers.
On his Statement of Services papers, it states, Reported Missing 29.9.17. This is crossed out and underneath is written,
Died of Wounds 29.9.17. His Casualty
Form – Active Service (Army Form B.103), records:
Wounded and admitted to hospital
29.9.17
Reported MISSING
29.9.17
Died from Wounds 28.9.17
On Army Form B.104-53 there is a note which records that two letters have been received from Clara Miller, Joseph’s
wife, “stating that her husband died of wounds but official notification only shows him as wounded and missing.”
In January 1918, Chailey Parish Magazine noted that he was “missing” but it was not until July 1918 that
he appeared in the parish magazine’s roll of honour. The entry reads (incorrectly):
Gnr J C Miller, RGA, killed in action, Sept 18th 1917 in France.
The memorial triptych inside St Peter’s Church Chailey, records his name incorrectly
as John C Miller, as does the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on its Roll of Honour register. His headstone though, is carved as J C Miller. He is buried
in Buffs Road Cemetery,
Ypres; grave reference E.35.
Clara Miller was certainly still living at Hall Lodge, Wivelsfield in April 1918. Effects Form 118A notes that any of her late husband’s effects should be sent
to her at that address, but there were none to send. The same form however, dated
18th December 1919, shows her living at a different address: Park Lane,
Lane End, High Wycombe [Buckinghamshire]. Again
though, “No effects” is scribbled on the form.
Clara and her children received a pension of 25 shillings and five pence a week, effective
from 13th May 1918. The children would have been just four and two years old.
In June 1919, Clara completed a form (Army Form W.5080) noting Joseph’s close relatives. Apart from herself and the two children she noted Joseph’s parents, Benjamin
and Harriet Miller, living at 5 Bevern Bridge Cottages, Cooks-Bridges,
Sussex; and his siblings.
In the following order they are recorded as: Albert Miller, William Miller, Edward Miller, Stanley E Miller, Mrs Elizabeth Jenner and Mrs Alice Broth. Ages and addresses for his siblings
are not recorded. William, Stanley and Albert also served their King and Country
during the First World War.
On 21st October 1921, Clara Miller received Joseph’s British War and Victory Medals. A plaque and scroll had already been sent a couple of years earlier.
Joseph appears on at least five war memorials in Sussex: the St Peter’s Church triptych, mentioned above and the memorial
on Chailey Village Green where his name is recorded as J C Miller. At the church of St Peter
and St John the Baptist at Wivelsfield his name appears on
two memorials outside the church and on a stone tablet inside. It is recorded
in all three instances as Joseph C Miller.
