Blackmore. Remembrance 100. Twenty-one days. Twenty-one names. (1) Ian A Miller

Ian A Miller (or Millar)
War Memorial: Place and inscription Blackmore War Memorial: Sec Lieut A. I. Miller M.M. R.I.R. Church window: 2nd Lt Ian Miller Ongar & District War Memorial Hospital Roll of Honour (Blackmore) as I Miller [ERO A10815] Commemorated at Appledore, Kent
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Regiment: Lieutenant Royal Irish Rifles.  6th Battalion [CWGC].
Service Details: Medal card: E Kent M Rif Pte 1522 R Ire Rif Sec Lt Capt dec’d 30/9/16. Victory/British ø off 59 15e 15 Star ø off 59 25                 IVXd/1711 22 NW/7/18358 First theatre Gallipoli 7/7/15 Contact Mrs Jenkins, Ardmore, Appledore, Kent. [Ancestry.com] The Struma River flows through Bulgaria southward to the Greek frontier, then south-east into the Aegean Sea. From the Allied base at Salonika, a road ran north-east across the river to Seres, and it was this road that the right wing of the Allied army used for the movements of troops and supplies to the Struma front during the Salonika Campaign. The Salonika Force arrived in 1915, and dug-in until the summer of 1916, by which time the international force had been reinforced and joined by Serbian, Russian and Italian units. The Bulgarian attempt at invasion of Greece in July was repulsed near Lake Doiran. At the beginning of Oct 1916, the British in co-operation with her allies on other parts of the front, began operations on the River Struma towards Serres. The campaign was successful with the capture of the Rupell Pass and advances to within a few miles of Serres.  Ian Millar died in the operations in the Struma valley and the capture of Jenikoj. Quote from diary of David Campbell, MC: In our sector the main attack was carried out by the 37th Division and our Battalion was allotted the task of guarding their left flank.  We crossed the Struma at dawn (It having been bridged in the meantime by the R.E’s) and at first met with little opposition.  Then the company on my right came under fire and their advance was checked.  My company was sheltering under a high bank and our Second in Command Major Graham, who happened to be with me, would not let me proceed further until we made an effort to subdue the hostile fire.  There was a field of all mealies on my left front but straight ahead of me the ground was clear.  I had a company of machine guns with me so we first got them to rake the mealies with their fire.  By then, I had climbed to the top of the bank and through my field glasses I spotted the sniping post that was causing the trouble.  In a matter of seconds, I had the machine guns on to it and was watching their fire, from the strike of the bullets, converging on the spot.  There was no more fire from that post and we were able to continue our advance unimpeded.  But we had lost one officer killed, Miller and two officers wounded O'Halloran and McQueen and several other ranks.  Miller was a great favourite in the Battalion and we deeply mourned his loss.  Quote from the history of the first seven battalions the Royal Irish Rifles (Now The Royal Ulster Rifles) in the great war vol. II By Cyril Falls Formerly Captain, General Staff, 36th (Ulster) Division: The attack was a complete success, the Bulgar outposts being driven in before their troops in reserve realized what was happening.  By 8.45 the force was digging in upon its position.  But the enemy quickly recovered.  A first counter-attack was beaten off by machine-gun fire at 11 a.m.  An hour later another, from Jenikoj, directed upon Zir, was checked, but not without some difficulty, by the troops of the 81st Brigade.  At 12.23 p.m. Colonel Becher reported that in view of the aggressive spirit shown by the enemy, his force was none too strong.  Later in the afternoon the Cyclist Company was moved across to his right flank, and he also brought up his reserve platoon to close a small gap between his force and the 81st Brigade.  His casualties had been not inconsiderable for fighting of this nature, one officer, Lieutenant Miller, having been killed, and 2 officers, Lieutenant A. T. M. Poore and 2nd-Lieutenant H. O’Halloran, and 16 other ranks wounded.  The Bulgars had apparently lost heavily in their counter-attacks. WW1 casualty Second Lieutenant Ian Miller or Millar - the further details from Belfast are: Army List March 1916 Column 1494b 6th Battalion Royal Irish Rifles Temporary 2nd Lieutenant Millar I.A. commission date 30 Nov 1914  [This line actually appears as "*Millar I.A. 30 Nov 1914".] IRELAND’S MEMORIAL RECORDS 1914- 19 MILLAR, IAN ARTHUR. Rank, 2nd Lieutenant, Royal Irish Rifles, 6th Batt, died of wounds, September 30, 1916. [rurmuseum@yahoo.co.uk]
Personal and family information: 1901 unhelpful, as no Irish coverage. 1911 Census.  Ian A. Millar (aged 14) is a pupil boarding at The Grammar School, Cranbrook, Kent.  He was born in Dublin. Blackmore connection unknown.
Date of Death: 30th September 1916
Age: 19 or 20
Where died: Died of wounds
Place of Burial or Commemoration: Struma Military Cemetery.
List of Sources: Ancestry.com, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, various websites