Willie Milham was born on 15 June 1889 in Paddington, London one of the seven children of George James Milham (c.1853-1906) and Emma Milham née Wilson (1853-1928). His birth was registered in the 3rd quarter of 1889 in the Paddington Registration District. On 1 September 1889 he was baptised at All Saints Church, Paddington, where in the baptismal register his date of birth was confirmed, that his family were living at 10 Wharf, South Wharf Road, Paddington and that his father was a horse-keeper.
In the 1891 census he is shown as aged 1 year and living at 10 South Wharf, Paddington Basin, with his parents and elder brother, Ernest Edward Milhan (1884-1957). His father continued to be described as a horse-keeper.
When the 1901 census was undertaken he was shown as aged 11 years and living at Wharf 10, South Wharf Road, Paddington, with his parents and three siblings: Ernest Edward Milham - a compositor apprentice; Bertie James Milham (1891-1917) and Emma Louisa Milham (1894-1979).
In November 1908 he was appointed as an Assistant Postman at the London Western District Office and in July 1910 he became a Postman, remaining at the Western District Office.
When his widowed mother completed her 1911 census return she showed him as aged 21 years and a postman living in two rooms at 10 Union Place, South Wharf Road, Paddington, together with: Bertie James Milham - a brewery clerk, Emma Louisa Milham - a general domestic servant and Ella Agnes Milham (1902-1994). His mother described herself as a charwoman who had given birth to seven children of which five were still alive.
Following the outbreak of World War One, he enlisted into 8th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles), service number 2661 and entered France on 18 March 1915. He was killed in action, aged 26 years, on 21 May 1916 whilst serving in his regiment's 1st/8th (City of London) Battalion and as he has no known grave he is commemorated on Bay 10 of The Arras Memorial to the Missing that is within the Faubourg d'Amiens British Military Cemetery, Boulevard du General de Gaulle, Arras, France.
His army effects totalling £5-17s-8d were sent to his mother on 17 October 1916 and on 6 September 1919 she was sent his £7-10s-0d war gratuity. Surprisingly, his medal card shows that he was only posthumously awarded the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal and makes no mention of the 1914-1915 Star.
He is shown as 'MILHAM, W.' on the Western Postal District war memorial in Mount Pleasant, London, WC1. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First Word War website, on the A Street Near You website, on the London WW1 Memorial website, on the Royal British Legion's Every One Remembered website and on page 256 of the Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance's Book of Remembrance 1914-1920.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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