William Munson Mills (1824-1917)

William Munson Mills was born on 4th February 1824 in Nayland, Suffolk. His middle name 'Munson' was the christian name of his grandfather, Munson Mills of Beaumont, Kent. William's father, John William Mills, was a veterinarian and is reputed to have served with a troop of Dragoons at Waterloo (yet to be proven). It is said that he was responsible for the care of the horses.

It is believed because of his expereiences at Waterloo, William's father objected to him joining the military. This could be the reason that on the 10th January 1842, William volunteered for 3rd Regiment of Light Dragoons under the name of "William Munson". He volunteered into the 9th Lancers the May following and went to India with the Regiment.

India
William told a reporter of The Observer newspaper about his experiences in India.

"In 1845 we were ordered to proceed from Meerut to the Punjaub, as the Sikhs had declared war against the British, but through delay in receiving despatches, we were not able to reach Moodkee in time to take part in resisting the attack made by the Sikhs on Sir H. Hardinge's forces on December 18, so we went on to Sobraon, where we stayed awhile. Meanwhile the Sikhs threatened at Aliwal, but as only one regiment of lancers was ordered to proceed there, Col. Campbell, of the 9th Lnacers, and Col. Cureton, of the 16th Lancers, tossed to see which should be the lucky regiment. Col. Cureton won, so that the 16th Lancers went to Aliwal, and suffered great loss in the memorable fight which occured there."

"The 9th were out looking for trouble, and they got it, for it fell to their lot to take a decisive part in the histroic battle of Sobraon against the Sikhs. So far as the 9th were concerned, we were out reconnoitring almost every other day until the morning of February 10, 1846, when we were ordered to march at 1 o'clock in the morning to engage the enemy at sunrise. A total defeat was inflicted on the Sikhs at Sobraon, which ended the campaign of the Sutlej. We crossed the River Sutlej, and two days later I well remember that, as I was on outlying picket duty, the young ruler of the Sikhs, the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, came into our lines, and was taken to the Commander-in-Chief. Next day I was one of the escort that accompanied Sir henry Hardinge (the Governor General) and Sir Hugh Gough (the Commander-in-Chief) to take formal possession of Lahore."

Second Sikh War
"After the first war the regiment was ordered back to Meerut, where we stayed until the second Sikh war broke out. On the way up, at Moodke, I received a permanent injury. A comrade who was making down his bed in our tent accidently stuck his spur into one of my eyes, which necessitated my going into hospital at Ferozapore. The wound healed, but as the sight of the ey was gone the doctor gave me the option of rejoining my regiment or being sent home. You can imagine that IU wanted to see the end of the campaign rather than go home, so that I was once more with the 9th Lancers, finding them on Christmas Day at a place called Heela. Not long afterwards the battle of Chillianwallah was fought. Every British soldier who has been in India will know that Chillianwallah was nearly a disaster for us. It was there that the 14th Hussars got the name of 'Hamilton's Runaways.'

"It was said that it was Brigadier Pope, who was wounded, who gave the order for his trumpeter to sound the retreat, and if Major Grant, afterwards General Sir Hope Grant, had not rallied our regiment we should have lost six guns. We lay there until the battle of Goojjerat, on February 21 1849, was fought and won by our troops. That ended the campaign of the Punjaub and gave to 'John Company' the possesion of the Koh-i-noor diamond, and splendid territory as well. I received two medals and two clasps. I was invalided at Umballa, India in 1852, and received my discharge at Maidstone on August 12, 1852." William purchased his discharge, so he did not receive any pension.

Return to England
On returning to England, William went to Wivenhoe to resume an apprenticeship as a shipwright which he had begun before joining the military. He worked for twelve hours a day from 7am to 7pm for 7 days a week for 1/- per day. His original indenture and re-instatement are still in family hands.

William boarded on East Street in Wivenhoe. Down the road lived a family of the last names Kent and they had a daughter Mahala who succumbeed to the charms of William and they were married in the church at Wivenhoe in 1854. They were given a part of the Old Garrison House as a bridal home and they they had 14 children. Mahala had a very fine contralto voice which was used to advantage singing both as a soloist and as a chorister in the Wivenhoe Church and the Colchester Cathedral.

With the phasing out of wooden ships and the introduction of steel hulls, William's shipwright skills were not in great demand. By 1878 he was listening to the overtures from his brother George who had migrated to South Australia sometime earlier, and who was prepared to act as a sponsor for William and his family to move their too.

Australia
In October 1878, part of the family set out from Wivenhoe and travelled by train to Portsmouth where they boarded the ship 'Woodlark on 8th November 1878. They arrived in South Australia on 21st February 1879. It is likely that the family was first housed with brother George and that William worked with his brother as a carpenter unti;l he could move into a home of his own. Mahala and the girls contributed to the family's support as seamstresses. William seems to have retired early as later documents change his occupation from shipwright to 'Gentleman'.

He was part of the South Australian Corps of Veterans, but was not always able to be presnet at their gathering. He did attend the parade in honour of the visit of Lord Kitchener to Adelaide. As Kitchener walked down the line of old soldiers, William's medals caught his eye. He stopped abruptly and said: - "What, Sobraon! My word! There are few old fellows of that fight left now."

William died at the residenc of his daughter, Mrs A W Lloyd, on 19th March 1917, aged 94 years. He is buried in the Payneham Cemteary with wife Mahala, and one of his daughters.



Children

 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of William and Mahala Mills
 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of William and Mahala Mills