William John Miller was born in April 1894 in Hemel Hempstead and baptised the following month on the 27th May in St Mary’s Church. His parents were John and Martha Liberty who were living in Cupid Green when William was born. The family had originally set up home at 5 Union Street (now gone and redeveloped as Union Green off Herbert Street), but had relocated after 1891 presumably so that John, an Agricultural Labourer, would be closer to his place of work.

The Cupid Green area was agricultural land with several farms, some dating back to c1100. William’s father was working on one of these farms in 1901 as a Ploughman. William aged six had one older brother George, and six sisters, Annie, Lizzie and Sarah all older, then Daisy, Kate and the youngest child Alice.

By 1911 the Miller family had moved back to the town and were living at 17 Church Street in Hemel Hempstead. His father was still working on a farm as a labourer whilst two of his older sisters had found employment in the Envelope Department at John Dickinsons. William, now seventeen, was working as a Van Boy in a grocer’s shop. His father John died in April 1912 aged fifty-one while his mother Martha lived to the ripe old age of ninety-five eventually passing away in 1959.

William enlisted in London with the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers in September 1914. At the outbreak of war, the Battalion was at Karachi and returned to England in January 1915 and William joined his regiment at Wolston near Rugby to continue basic training. Over the next two months the Battalion was trained in marching with new and heavy equipment and finally, after a final inspection by H .M. King George V on the 12th March 1915, embarked at Avonmouth on 16th March bound for the Dardanelles.

1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers as part of the 86th Infantry Brigade in the 29th Division landed at West (‘W’) Beach on 25th April 1915. They encountered stiff resistance and were met by deadly fire from hidden machine guns which caused many casualties. Despite the terrific fire from the enemy, the cliffs were gained, and the position held by the Battalion. A total of six Victoria Crosses were awarded for gallantry to the men of the Battalion, the popularly remembered as “six VCs before breakfast.” The successful capture of “W Beach”, however, came at a terrible price, with up to 700 members of the regiment being killed or wounded. The beach was renamed “Lancashire Landing” following this action.

It was during this this assault on Sunday, 25th April 1915, that William was killed.

He is Remembered with Honour on the Helles Memorial, Turkey (including Gallipoli).

The Helles Memorial commemorates the soldiers who fell in the Gallipoli Campaign and the servicemen who died but who have no known grave. There are 21,000 British, Indian and Australian soldiers named on the memorial. The Lancashire Fusiliers have the most of any regiment with 1,362 men commemorated at Helles.

William was 21 years old when he was killed.

He was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.