William Barry Ritchie MILLAR

MILLAR, William Barry Ritchie. Corporal 2653, 8/13th, Reinenforcement, 45th Australian Infantry, killed in action at Messines, France on the 7th June 1917 aged 25.
He was the son of John and Mary Rainey. He is commemorated on a family memorial in Ballygowan Presbyterian Graveyard, County Down, Northern Ireland, and also on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium.
Some notes from his army record. He joined up aged 23 and 7 months on the 20th June 1916. He was an apprentice with Messrs. Riddles, Ltd., Donegall Place, Belfast for 5 years and he was by occupation and commercial traveller. His father John of Rockmount, Ballygowan was his next of kin. On the 23rd October 1915 he joined his unit at Mudros, Greece. On the 4th November 1915 he was made medical orderly and temporally Lance Corporal whilst so employed at Gallipoli. He disembarked from Mudros, Alexandria of Troop Ship Tunisian on the 3rd January 1916 and on the 1st March 1916 while with the 13th Battalion he relinquishes his temporally rank at Tel-el-Kebirl. 3rd March 1916 in Egypt he was transferred to and taken on strength with the 45th Battalion. He embarked on the 2nd June 1916 from Alexandira on Troopship, "Kinfauns Castle" bound for British Expeditionary Force at Marseilles, France and disembarked in France on the 8th June 1916. He was promoted to Lance Corporal at Serapeum with the 45th Battalion on the 22nd April 1916 and Corporal on the 10th August 1916. He was killed in action in France on the 16th June 1917 and was buried, no location given. That entry was written by Lieutenant, J D Dewar, 4th Australian Divisional Burial Office.