Another large crowd was in attendance at The Canopy for the 2025 ANZAC Day service.
Each year, the Lane Cove RSL Sub-Branch invites a Lane Cove Resident to talk about a relative who has served in the military. This year, Don Mills spoke about his grandfather, MAJOR Ernest Henry Whitford MILLS MC and Bar
Don Mills told the crowd assembled in The Canopy the following story of Major Ernest Henry Whitord Mills. Below is Don’s entire speech.
Grandfather was born in the colony of New South Wales in 1896 and raised at his family home in Marlborough Street, Chatswood. In 1921, Harry married Gladys Swann, who lived in the Chatswood area. After WW2, their home was in Johnson Crescent Lane Cove, near Tantallon Oval, and they spent their final years in a flat just 400 metres down the road from here, on the corner of Bridge Street and Burns Bay Road.
With the outbreak of WW1, Harry enlisted with the Australian army arriving in Egypt in April 1916 as part of infantry re-enforcements, in May 1916 Harry transferred to the Imperial Camel Corps (ICC) , that was established by the British to meet the harsh conditions of desert warfare in Egypt, Sinai and Palestine.
The ICC was comprised of over 3,000 mounted troops from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and a small contingents of Indian troops, a truly imperial force.
Refer photo – photo of officers of the Imperial Camel Corps, including commanding officer British general Leslie Smith VC – can you guess which one is Harris the Australian officer?
Elements of the ICC were sent into the western desert of Egypt to fight the Turkish allies the Senussi Arabs, Harry was awarded a Military Cross for his actions at the Dakhla Oasis some 160 kilometres west of the Nile River. Imagine what it was like for a young man from Chatswood finding himself on a camel in the western desert of Egypt.
The ICC fought with the British forces including the Australian Light Horse in Palestine and through to Jordan.
In April 1918 Harry was the officer commanding a company of the ICC, about 120 men, holding a vital position in the front line over looking both the Turkish and British front lines, with the order “hold the position at all cost”, Early the next morning Harry’s company came under very heavy artillery barrage for almost an hour, the commander of Harry’s battalion wrote “a shell was bursting one a second, the ridge exploding in flames and it did not seem possible that anybody could be alive on the narrow plateau”, the position came under multiple infantry assaults with all officers in the company being wounded, they held the line – quote from the official London Gazette wording for Harry’s second Military Cross “though twice wounded, he moved from post to post encouraging his men and supervising the defence…..
it was largely due to his initiative and courage that the position was held.”
Harry was one of only 175 Australians who were awarded the MC twice during WW1.
In July 1918, the ICC was disbanded with Harry transferring to the 14th Australian Light Horse Regiment.
In October 1918, the Turkish army surrendered.
Harry survived the war after being hospitalised twice for wounds, on both occasions returning to the front line, as a captain, soon to be promoted to Major, twice awarded the Military Cross , mentioned in despatches by General Sir Archibald Murray Commander in Chief of the British Forces, congratulatory telegrams from General Harry Chavel commander of the Australian forces and also from British General Leslie Smith VC commander of the Imperial Camel Corps – Harry at the end of the war was 22 years of age.
In the 1920’s Harry formed a very successful business with his brothers that constructed hundreds of homes in the Willoughby area but lost everything as result of the great depression of the 1930’s.
In April 1939, 5 months before WW2 started, Harry was called back into the army to command the “2nd Remount Squadron”, a unit that provided horses for the army. in 1942 Harry was deployed to New Guinea as a major commanding the 3rd Australian pack horse transport company, which operated in very difficult terrain and jungle to get ammunition and other supplies to front line troops, always under threat of enemy attack. Harry returned to Australia in 1944 being decommissioned from the army suffering from Malaria, Harry was 48 years old.
After WW2 Harry served in a number of senior administrative roles finally retiring in the early 1960’s, on retirement it took quite some time to convince Harry that he deserved a government pension.
Grandfather passed away in July 1972 – I remember a few things about grandfather, he was a very heavy “roll your own” smoker , he loved poetry, a much loved grandfather.
Harry was a very proud Australian and I’m a very proud grandson.
Finally, I know grandfather would have wanted me on his behalf to especially acknowledge the veterans here today for their service to our country.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to Harry’s story.
