ACROSS the nation tomorrow, Australians will mark the sacrifice and service of the men and women who gave their lives in defence of the country.
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Charles John Mills was one district resident who signed up for the war effort.
Born at Waaia near Numurkah in Victoria in 1894, he was one of 10 children.
Educated at Nagambie Public School, he trained for two years in the school cadets and the Light Horse.
When he was 18 years old, his family moved to Murrulebale, north west of Old Junee and he worked in the district until the outbreak of World War I.
Mr Mills was accepted into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on August 30, 1914 as a Private.
Assigned to the Third Battalion, Private Mills trained in Australia and Egypt but fell ill and was hospitalised for 61 days.
Discharged on May 31, 1915 Private Mills joined A Company for service at Gallipoli.
Little is known about his service at Gallipoli, his last letter home to his family was dated August 3, 1915 and four days later on August 7 he was severely wounded in the thigh at Lone Pine.
Evacuated to the hospital ship Dunluce Castle he died later that day.
Initially it was thought Private Mills had been buried at sea, but further investigation revealed his body was returned to Gallipoli and his final resting place is plot three, row B, grave 33 at Brown’s Dip Cemetery, Lone Pine.
The news of Private Mills’ death was delivered by telegram to Reverend Studds of the Anglican Church who travelled by horse and buggy 26 kilometres to reach Murrulebale from Junee.
Private Mills’ sacrifice is recognised on the St Luke’s Anglican Church honour roll, the Junee Cenotaph, the Junee Reefs memorial and the Australian War Memorial.
Sadly, seven other soldiers with ties to Junee died at Lone Pine during an Australian offensive between August 6 and 10, 1915, with a further five fatalities later that month at Lone Pine.
Private Mills is just one solider from Junee whose story has been recorded by Rita Broad and Graham Elphick.
Mr Elphick said it was thanks to help from Private Mills’ niece Masie Robinson and several history items that his story was recorded ahead of the centenary of the Gallipoli landing.
Tomorrow, Private Mills’ service and sacrifice – along with more than 100 other soldiers from Junee, who never came home, will be commemorated.
