CAPTAIN ALVAN EWEN MILLSON, 4th BATTALION ROYAL FUSILIERS.


CAPTAIN ALVAN EWEN MILLSON, 4th BATTALION ROYAL FUSILIERS. KILLED IN ACTION 9th APRIL 1917, AGED 25


Born in Paignton,Devon in 1892, Ewen Millson spent most of his childhood, when not at boarding school, living at the home of his wealthy aunt, Maria Millson, who owned a large house called Hollybrook on Queens Road. His father Alvan, an eminent geographer, was the colonial secretary in Lagos in what is now Nigeria but in1896 contracted a fever whilst on route home to Britain and died whilst off the coast of Sierra Leone.



From an early age Ewen Millsom was sent away to school, firstly at at Horton School, Biggleswade and them the famous public school at Haileybury in Hertfordshire. A quiet studious child he went on to university at Edinburgh, graduating in 1914 with a Masters Degree
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At the outbreak of war Ewen enlisted into The Royal Fusiliers and as a former pupil of a public school was posted to the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps. In February 1915 Ewan was gazetted as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers and with them as they saw action on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Promoted to full Lieutenant he was badly wounded that November and invalided back to Britain. He returned to his unit in August 1916 and in subsequent fighting was Mentioned in Dispatches and promoted to Captain. 


On 9th April 1917, the 4th Royal Fusiliers were in the front line near Tilloy and designated to take part in the opening phase of the Battle of Arras. At 7am that morning the Royal Fusiliers attacked across no-man’s land towards a feature known as The Harp. This involved an advance of about a mile in atrocious snowy weather under constant German artillery fire which caused heavy casualties. In command of 'X' Company, Ewen and his men battled through the enemy barbed wire and entered the German front line. As the company achieved their objective, Sting Trench, he was shot and mortally wounded and despite receiving immediate first aid from his comrades, he died. 


Today Captain Alvan Ewen Millson lies in the British Military Cemetery at Beaurains Road and is remembered on our war memorial in Ilkley as well as at St Margaret’s Church.






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