On 11 September 1914 the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force arrived at Rabaul, on the island of New Britain, part of the then territory of German New Guinea. The objective of the Force was to seize and destroy German wireless stations in the area.

Among the 1,500 volunteer soldiers and sailors in the Expeditionary Force was a twenty-three year old Corporal, James Stokes Millner. James was the younger brother of Tom Millner (at Newington from 1898-1903) and was thus the second member of this great Newington family to enter the College. James appears to have spent only the first half of 1901 at Newington; however, he was subsequently educated at Sydney Grammar School. Following study at the University of Sydney, he worked as a civil engineer before enlisting on the outbreak of war.

The Expeditionary Force quickly overcame the small German forces on New Britain and occupied German posts on the mainland and elsewhere in the region. While some members of the Expeditionary Force remained in occupation for the rest of the War, most returned to Australia and were discharged after six months’ service.

James was discharged with the rank of Lance Sergeant on 15 March 1915. He re-enlisted in October and arrived in Egypt as a Second Lieutenant in the Engineers in February 1916. In April, however, he was sent back to Australia as medically unfit due to deafness and was discharged the following August. He died on 25 April 1919, ‘never having thrown off the effects of malarial fever contracted in New Guinea’ (as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald). It is likely that his deafness was caused by the malaria.

Thus, James Stokes Millner was the first Old Newingtonian to see active service and to become a casualty in the First World War, while he was one of the last — indeed the second last — Old Newingtonian on our Roll of the Fallen to lose his life during the War.

 Mr David Roberts
College Archivist