William George MILLETT
Year of Birth: 1897
Place of Birth: Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 12 February 1916
Date and Place of Embarkation: 20 April 1916 at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Ship: SS Hawkes Bay
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 12th Australian Infantry Battalion
Regimental Number: 5421
Died: 20 September 1917
William George Millett was born 3 July 1897 to William Millett and Margaret (nee Howard). He had one brother, Thomas Augustus Millett (b. 1898) who possibly enlisted under the surname of O’Donoghue. As both Millett boys were under the age of consent at the time of enlistment, it’s possible this is why the younger son used another name. Thomas embarked from Sydney on 31 October 1917, was wounded on 25 August 1918 and returned to Australia on 18 January 1919.
Private W G Millett was 18 years 7 months of age, occupation farmer, 5 feet 9 inches tall with a fair complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. His religion was Church of England.
He named his father as his next of kin.
He embarked from Sydney on 20 April 1916 on the SS Hawkes Bay.
On 21 August he proceeded overseas to France from Perham Downs England with the 3rd Training Battalion.
From Etaples France he was taken on strength with the 12th Battalion a few days later. In November he spent nearly a week at the 36th Casualty Clearing Station suffering with an abscess on his back. Again, in February 1917 he was back in hospital with pneumonia and subsequently transferred to hospital in England for treatment.
After two months he reported to the training Depot at Perham Downs. A month later he returned to Havre, France to rejoin his unit on 15 July 1917.
In Belgium he was wounded in action with wounds to both feet, admitted to 10th Casualty Clearing Station where he died of his wounds the same day.
Private Millett was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Note: The Mrs G Cockrem referred to in the newspaper reports does not appear to be a biological sister to Private Allen. Research indicates that she married at the Port Douglas home of the Millett family in 1914. Her father, John Maxwell Allen, a Port Douglas identity had died in 1893, so she may have been close to the Millett family.
Online Resources
NAA: B2455 (MILLETT W G) National Archives of Australia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Australian Light Horse Studies Centre
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
Ancestry.com.au: Queensland Electoral Rolls
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