Frederick Harold Millis was born in Marylebone, Middlesex, on 18th March 1896, and was one of five children to horse keeper William Millis and his wife Emily. Details of his early life are a challenge to piece together – he does not appear on the 1901 census, although Emily and his siblings are recorded at 1 Linhope Street.
William died in 1908, and by the time of the 1911 census, Emily had moved to Brighton, Sussex, where she was living at 49 Bernard Street with Frederick and two of his brothers. Fred was 15 years old by this point, and was working as a telegraph messenger, while his older sibling Alfred was working as a draper’s assistant.
Frederick sought a better life for himself, and, on 28th January 1913, he signed up to the Royal Navy. Being under age, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for his training.
After just three months, Frederick was promoted to Boy 1st Class, and just a few weeks later was assigned to the battleship HMS Prince of Wales. In October 1913, he was moved to another battleship, HMS Bulwark, and it was here that he was formally inducted into the navy.
The now Ordinary Seaman Millis signed up for twelve years’ service, and his papers note that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also recorded as having a clasped hands tattoo on his right forearm and another of a sailor on his left arm.
Ordinary Seaman Millis would remain on board HMS Bulwark for a year. The battleship was part of the Channel Fleet, tasked with patrolling and defending Britain’s southern coast. On 26th November 1914, she was moored in the River Medway, close to Sheerness, and was being stocked with shells and ammunition. That morning, some poorly stowed cordite charges overheated, detonating the shells stored nearby. The resulting explosion ripped through the battleship, and more than 740 crew were killed. Frederick was amongst those whose bodies were recovered and identified: he was 18 years of age.
The bodies that were recovered from the tragedy were taken to the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham and laid to rest. Frederick Harold Millis was buried alongside his colleagues in a marked grave.
Frederick’s headstone suggests he held the rank of Officer’s Steward: this seems to be an error, and possible a mis-interpretation of the initials of Ordinary Seaman.
Death and Service 