Can you help us identify Harold?

Harold George James Miller was born in 1882 in Melbourne, Victoria, into a large Scottish immigrant family. His father, George Miller, (1849-1918) from Thurso, Caithness, Scotland married Georgina McAndrew in Clerkenwell, London 10 November 1873. Two days later they boarded the Forfarshire which arrived Port Adelaide 16 February 1874. Georgina McAndrew was listed as a nurse. George was a mathematical instrument maker. George’s parents James Miller and Margaret Swanson also migrated to South Australia via Clerkenwell. George soon found work as a labourer. Their eldest, Christina was born in Bowden, North Adelaide. Perhaps Georgina also found work as a nurse. At some stage after 1880, they moved to Victoria where Harold and Georgina were born, then back to SA. Harold was one of seven:

Sadly, mother Georgina, (b 1850, Latheron, Caithness), died in 1888 when Harold was just two. This was probably around the birth of William who died at 8 months. It was likely her death was related to his birth as was common at that time. Perhaps Harold's grandparents helped the young family, the death of a mother leaving a tiny infant and Harold aged two was a family tragedy, his four older sisters may have been vitally important to Harold. Harold likely grew up under the care of his eldest siblings Christina (Margaret) then 14, Mabel (Elizabeth) 12 and Mary Ann 10, and his widowed father. Although it was his youngest sister Agnes who was there for him when he enlisted.

After George’s parents died in Adelaide 1902, the family were in Victoria again, as Harold attended Wandin and Lilydale State Schools. He became a bricklayer by trade. By the time war broke out, he was living in Birkenhead, South Australia. His sister, Agnes McKay (née Miller), was particularly close and later named as Harold’s next of kin. It was probable Harold at the time - was living with Agnes and family at Birkenhead.

“Harold - physically strong, quiet, and dependable.”

Harold enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 30 June 1915 at Keswick, South Australia, aged 28. A bricklayer by trade, he had no prior military experience, but like many men of his generation, he volunteered with a strong sense of duty and commitment to the Empire. He was assigned to the 3rd Reinforcements of the 32nd Battalion, a unit formed in mid-1915 as part of the AIF’s rapid expansion. After completing his initial training, Harold embarked from Adelaide aboard HMAT A28 Miltiades on 7 February 1916.

He arrived in Egypt in March 1916, where he joined the 8th Training Battalion at Zeitoun for further preparation. On 1 April 1916, he was officially taken on strength with the 32nd Battalion at Duntroon Plateau, near Tel el Kebir. The 32nd had been in Egypt since December 1915 and was preparing to move to the Western Front. The men trained intensively in desert conditions — far removed from the muddy trench warfare that awaited them in France. On 17 June 1916, Harold and the rest of the battalion embarked from Alexandria aboard the transport Transylvania as part of the British Expeditionary Force.

They disembarked at Marseilles on 23 June and were then transported northward by train through the beautiful French countryside..

The 5th Division, of which the 32nd was part, had only just arrived in France and was still acclimatising when orders came for a major assault near the village of Fromelles — a move designed to divert German attention from the Somme Offensive. For Harold and his comrades, it would be their first — and for many, their last — major action.

Only weeks after arriving in France, Harold and the men of the 32nd Battalion were thrown into their first major battle on the Western Front — the ill-fated attack at Fromelles on 19–20 July 1916. The 32nd Battalion had arrived in the Armentières sector in early July as part of the 8th Brigade, 5th Australian Division. This area was referred to as the "Nursery Sector" because it was generally considered a quiet front — ideal for new troops to gain experience. However, what awaited them was anything but routine. Despite the relatively low intensity, men experienced bombardments, gas alerts, and the psychological stress of front-line life.

Preparations

On 14 July, the battalion moved into the front-line trenches near the village of Fromelles. Over the following days, they undertook reconnaissance, cut paths through barbed wire, and prepared for the assault. D Company’s Lieutenant Sam Mills wrote home confidently:

The attack was delayed due to rain and poor conditions but rescheduled for 19 July 1916.

The Plan

The 5th Division’s task was to conduct a diversionary assault on German lines opposite Fromelles to draw enemy forces away from the Somme. The 32nd Battalion, on the left flank of the attack, was given one of the most difficult tasks, to advance across No-Man’s-Land, capture German front-line trenches, and then push forward to a second line. The terrain ahead of them included not only barbed wire but concealed German positions, including the strongpoint known as Delangre Farm.

The Assault – 19 July 1916

On the afternoon of 19 July 1916, the men received their final orders. At 5.00 pm, the 32nd Battalion assembled in the forward trenches, checking equipment and preparing to advance. Harold, part of B Company, was in the third wave behind A and C Companies. By 5.45 pm, all four companies were in position. At 5.53 pm, the first wave — A and C Companies — went over the top. They advanced into No-Man’s-Land under the cover of a prolonged British artillery bombardment. Initially, resistance was light, the Germans had taken shelter from the shellfire.

By 6.00 pm, the Australians had reached the enemy front line and pushed beyond it. Instead of finding additional German trench systems, however, they encountered shallow drainage ditches and open fields. Believing these to be second and third-line positions, they continued advancing. By 6.30 pm, the overextension was clear. With the 31st Battalion unable to hold its position on the right, and no support on the far left, A and C Companies became dangerously exposed. At this point, Harold’s wave — B and D Companies — began their advance under increasing German machine-gun fire from both flanks, particularly from Delangre Farm. Many were hit in No-Man’s-Land before reaching the front line.

Between 7.00 and 9.00 pm, the 32nd struggled to hold the ground. Isolated and under fire from the front and both flanks, the Australians made desperate efforts to consolidate their position. Ammunition was running low. German counterattacks intensified. The expected breakthrough never came. From 9.00 pm to midnight, the situation became increasingly dire. The battalion, now spread thin and unsupported, faced repeated attacks. Bomb and grenade supplies dwindled. Trench positions were shallow, communications had broken down, and morale was collapsing.

The Collapse – 20 July 1916

Throughout the night, the Germans launched ferocious counterattacks. The Australians, running low on grenades and ammunition, tried to consolidate their gains but were rapidly losing ground. The men were trapped in captured trenches, with limited supplies and no reinforcement. At 5.30 am, the survivors began withdrawing across No-Man’s-Land. A war diary of the neighbouring 31st Battalion recorded:

The Aftermath

The 32nd Battalion suffered catastrophic losses, 718 casualties out of approximately 800 men — one of the highest casualty rates of any Australian unit in a single battle. Hundreds of bodies were left behind in No-Man’s-Land or in German-occupied trenches. Many were buried by German soldiers in mass graves behind Pheasant Wood near Fromelles. These graves went unrecognised for nearly a century.

To date, Harold has not yet been positively identified.

Harold was among those caught in this chaos. He was initially listed as Missing in Action. No Red Cross eyewitness statements describe his final moments, and he was never found on German death lists. A Court of Enquiry held in the field on 12 August 1917 determined that he had been Killed in Action on 20 July 1916 and his family endured more than a year of uncertainty.

Despite the absence of a grave, Harold's sacrifice has not been forgotten. His sister, Mrs Agnes McKay, listed as his next of kin, discovered his fate through official correspondence and newspaper reports. Family accounts remember Agnes as a vivid storyteller, though she never spoke of her brother's death — a silence echoed in many families touched by the tragedy of Fromelles. Harold’s British War Medal and Victory Medal were awarded posthumously. According to family recollections, his medals were once in the family's possession but were later stolen around 20 years ago. The loss of his medal reflects a broader emotional reality — for many families of the missing, their soldier’s only physical trace was their service record and the name carved into a wall of remembrance.

He is commemorated at VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, The Adelaide National War Memorial and The Australian War Memorial.

His remains were never recovered, and no known grave was found. It is highly probable that Harold was among those left behind in No-Man’s-Land or near the German lines after the failed assault on 19–20 July 1916. Like many of his comrades, he may have been buried by German forces in mass graves behind Pheasant Wood, near the village of Fromelles. These graves were rediscovered in 2008 and subsequently exhumed.

Thanks to ongoing DNA analysis and detailed archival work, many soldiers have since been identified — but Harold is not yet among them. If you are a descendant or relative of the Miller or McAndrew families and may be able to provide DNA or family information, please consider getting in touch. Your help may one day lead to Harold being identified and finally laid to rest by name.