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 James William
Miller. Simon's great great
grandfather.
Simon's mother's father's mother's father.
James William
Miller (1820-1892) was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 5th May
1820. He enlisted in the Honourable East India Company on 22nd
June 1841 and was sent to Chatham Dockyard. His trade was listed
as a candle maker, and he was described as 5ft 7in tall, grey
eyes and a fair complexion. He became part of the Bengal
Ordnance Department and was posted to India. He was in the
country when the Mutiny broke out in 1857.
On the 28th
October 1857, at Sikra, near Agra, Lieutenant Glubb of the 38th
Regiment of Foot, had been hit and wounded. He was lying exposed
to enemy fire in the open. Without hesitation, Miller rushed out
to the Lieutenant’s aid, and carried him out of the action.
Miller was wounded in this effort and was sent to Agra to
recuperate. The reason Miller was present was that he was
employed with the heavy howitzers and ordnance stores attached
to a detachment of troops commanded by Colonel Cotton during the
action at Sikra.
Miller’s citation
for the Victoria Cross was not immediately gazetted, and was not
published until 25th February 1862, and his medal was presented
to him later that year in India. He remained in India for the
remainder of his life, rising to the rank of Honorary
Lieutenant. He died aged 72 in Simla, India on 12th June 1892,
and was laid to rest in the graveyard of Christ Church.
Over time, the location of his grave at Christ Church has
been lost.
An old family photograph of the
Miller family circa
1880. James Miller married twice when in service in India. His first
marriage was at the age of 25 years, when he married a Mrs Mary
Fowler (a widow) daughter of one Patrick McMahon at Dum Dum,
Fort William, Calcutta, India on the 5th
of August 1845. They had no children by this union. His second
marriage, following the death of his first wife, was to Miss
Agnes Forsythe, daughter of one Evan
Forsythe, on the 24th
of October 1849, at Fort William, Calcutta, India.
Front and back of old
photograph of the Miller family. If you can
identify the location; please contact Simon simprolaw@gmail.com.
Simon can recall being told
about a distant relative who won a medal for bravery and that
was nice but as a child he could not comprehend what an honour it
is to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Photo above is a close up of the Miller family
photograph showing Simon's great great grandfather wearing his Victoria Cross
which was
stolen during a railway journey in India after the Second World
War. The current whereabouts of the Victoria Cross is unknown.
Today, an original Victoria Cross is highly prized by collectors
and museums. The highest price yet paid for a Victoria Cross was
£1.5 million.
The world's largest
collection of Victoria Crosses is in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery
Imperial War Museum.
The Victoria Cross Memorial outside Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow,
Scotland.
Links on the internet to more
information about Simon's great great grandfather, James William Miller:
http://www.vconline.org.uk/james-w-miller-vc/4587644903
https://www.rlc-conductor.info/Profiles/Miller.htm
http://www.memorialstovalour.co.uk/vc197.html
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