Who is G H Millman?

[Guest]

If the name was wrong on the memorial surely someone present would have pointed it out. It was reported that the relatives were seated at the front of those present at the consecration.

Assuming that the spelling is wrong opens it up to hundreds of potential combinations, the most obvious I have checked to the casualty list without success.

Derek

Hi Derek. I'm just saying that mistakes did occur. Of 66 men on my local Memorial, there is one glaring error. The Memorial lists one man as having served in the Sherwood Foresters. He never did serve with them, but with the Royal Fusiliers and the Lincolnshire Regiment. Another man had me stumped for years, till I found him through School Registers. He was born illegitimate, as XXXX XXXXX and after his mother married was known as XXXX YYYYY. He is listed on the Memorial as XXXX XXXXX, but all Army records are under XXXX YYYYY if you get the drift.

Mike

Cheers Mike

[Phil Wood]

My researches into the 339 WW1 names on my local memorial (Newbury, Berks) has shown up very sort of error - men seemingly unconnected to the town (usually means they had relatives here), typos (wrong initials, mispellings etc), and missing from CGWC (usually means they died in England - often of TB - several cases for In From The Cold). I have one instance where one chap seems to be on the memorial twice (thought there could, of course have been two F Westalls) and two chaps on there once (one J Wheeler on the memorial, two in CWGC). Lots of omissions, some I believe deliberate (suicides), others probably not put forward by their rellies.

I still have about 30 I need to identify (the biggest problem being multiple entries in CWGC with nothing to indicate any connection to Newbury). The local paper has been invaluable in identifying many of the men.

If anyone fancies a bit of detective work - the names I am struggling with are at http://westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk/nstories.php#headaches

[DerekB44]

Hi everyone and thanks to all who have given help.

Just to wrap this up I have found a Roll of Honour in the Church Vestry which lists 65 names, almost certainly from WW1.

The list of names only contains half of the names on the War Memorial and is as far as I can tell only a partial list, although not attributed to anyone it was possibly started by the Vicar Rev Skipper who was vicar from 1910 to 1917 (his son's name is on the list and he survived). The vicar for some reason was moved on to another parish (he did not die in the parish) and he could never have completed the list. His successor did not continue it either.

So I have, I think about half of the names of the men of Hennock who served, better than nothing.

The list also contains the name T G Milman. Now G H Milman was of the right age to have served, so I think what has happened is that both Milmans served, T G was killed and G H survived. It is quite possible that when the names were submitted for inclusion on the Memorial the two Milman initials just got mixed up. Their only connection to the Village seems to be that they both worked in the local Quarry but did not live in the Village and by 1924 no one remembered which Milman died, someone just chose the wrong one.

So unless anyone has a better explanation that is what I will say happened.

Thanks to you all

Derek

[Stephen Nulty]

Derek

I would agree. Sometimes we try to judge the way they did things 90 years ago by the standards and styles which we use today, and we need to accept that it wasn't that way in a much simpler, slower England

[Guest]

If you say " that is what happened. " and publish it, someone will no doubt come along and disprove it. If you say " that is what possibly happened " then you are covered?

Mike

[BillyH]

Just another possibility.

The memorial I am researching is in my local Parish Church, and in the local archives are many documents from the period covering the planning of the memorial :

Minutes of the church council meetings : estimates from architects, builders, stonemasons etc : and by no means least, a typed up list of names with rank and next of kin names and addresses.

The only trouble is that of the 73 names, 4 don't have any nok details so 2 of them are still "lost"

If your local archives are up to scratch, and you ask to speak to the archivist in charge they may be able to bring all the documents to you in minutes! (especially if you phone in advance) Allow yourself plenty of time though, in my case I had to copy well over 100 pages.

Best of luck, BillyH.

[DerekB44]

1. In reply to the last post above, I have been informed by a very elderly gent who was a church warden 30 or 40 years ago that a lot of Church Records went missing on the demise of the then Vicar. But in the hope that there is something in the Devon Archive it is a suggestion that I will follow up. Thanks.

2. Going on the assumption that there was a mix up of names T G and not G H I have looked up T G Milman's medal card. He was in the territorials and was awarded the TFW Medal (Territorial Force War Medal I believe). Can anyone please explain the significance of the X with the dots surrounding it. It occurs twice on the same medal card, attached.

Many thanks

Derek

[BillyH]

Derek,

The symbol simply indicates that the Territorial Force medal was issued with his original service number (678) - presumably his name and number were inscribed around the rim in similar fashion to the British War medal + Victory medal.

His other 2 medals would have had 240085 around the rim.

BillyH.

[DerekB44]

Billy H,

Thanks for the explanation.

Regards

Derek

[Black Sapper]

Always interesting to see how this forum works through the mysteries ............. you guys are a mine of information & logical thinking.

Just a thought, but I recently dealt with a WW1 Book of Remembrance for the South Hams, Devon Parish of East Allington. It was handwritten in a nice style but contained 'The Names and Records as far as it has been possible to ascertain them, of all the men connected with East Allington, by Birth, Schooling, Residence or otherwise, who served in the Great War 1914 - 1919'.

I just wonder if the subject name of Millman shown on the memorial in this topic question, was included purely in line with other Devon Parish people's methods of showing gratitude for their service, because he had been 'associated with the village' at some time?

Black Sapper

[spof]

Here is the medal roll entry for his TF Medal

[DerekB44]

Hi,

Thanks to all who have responded it is most appreciated.

I have located a 'Roll of Honour' in the church that lists Millman T G as having enlisted it does not record Millman G H (There were brothers I believe).

Thanks again

Regards

Derek

PS One final postscript on the Devon Roll of Honour from 1920 Thomas George Millman is listed as a casualty. G H Millman is not mentioned at all. So the initials on the War memorial are wrong.

DB