John Birchell Mills – Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 1/4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Territorial Force

 Lieutenant John Birchell Mills – Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 1/4^th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Territorial Force

Birth and Family Background

John Birchell Mills was born in 1890 in Swansea, the son of George Mills and Elizabeth Mills.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the Mills family were residing at 4 Beach Place, Swansea. George Mills (27) was employed as a shipping clerk, and his Cheshire-born wife Elizabeth (25) managed the household. Their only child was John B. (1).

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 43 Inkerman Street, St Thomas, Swansea. George Mills (38) was working as a tinplate shipping clerk, and Elizabeth (33) remained at home. Their children were John B. (11), George P. (8), and Elizabeth H. (5).

1911 Census

At the 1911 Census, the family were living at 30 Delhi Street, St Thomas, Swansea. George Mills (48) was employed as a shipping clerk, and Elizabeth (44) managed the household. Their children were John Birchell (21), a colliery clerk, and George Patterson (18), a motor and carriage builder.
Also present was a nephew, William Robert Hall (25).

Military Service

John Birchell Mills served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, joining the 1/4^th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Territorial Force. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant, a role that placed him at the forefront of leadership in front-line duties.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 1/4^th (Denbighshire) Battalion — 24^th April 1917

On 24^th April 1917, the 1/4^th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers was engaged in operations associated with the Battle of Arras (9 April–mid-May 1917). By this stage, the offensive had entered a phase of local actions, consolidation, and sustained attrition. The battalion was tasked with front-line trench holding, reliefs, patrols, and working parties, all conducted under frequent and accurate German artillery fire.

The Arras sector at this time was marked by exposed positions, damaged trench systems, and relentless bombardment aimed at disrupting British consolidation of newly captured ground. Although major assaults were fewer than during the opening phase, casualties continued daily from shellfire, trench mortars, and sniping. Junior officers were particularly vulnerable as they supervised trench routines, led patrols, and organised working parties, often in daylight and under observation.

It was during this period of continuous danger on 24^th April 1917 that John Birchell Mills was killed in action, exemplifying the risks faced by Territorial officers during the Arras operations.

Death and Burial

John Birchell Mills
Wimereux Communal Cemetery, 
Pas-de-Calais, France
credit - findagrave

Lieutenant Mills is buried at Wimereux Communal Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France.

His death reflects the heavy toll borne by Territorial Force battalions during the Battle of Arras, where holding and consolidating ground proved as deadly as the initial assaults themselves