MILLER, William John
NAME MILLER William John
RANK Private 11764 I Canadian Corps - 5th Canadian Armoured Division - 11th Infantry Brigade REGIMENT Perth Regiment "bold and wary" Royal Canadian Infantry Corps Residence Staffa - Ontario Born October 11, 1914 - Staffa - Hibbert Township - County of Perth - Ontario Died September 1,1944 29 years 11months CEMETERY Montecchio War Cemetery - Montecchio - Montelabbate - Pesaro - Italy
I F 2
Wife Mrs. Letha Miller - Hensall / Seaforth - Ontario Son Gordon Miller - Seaforth Daughter Marlene Joy Miller - Seaforth
Father Mr. William Miller - Michell - Ontario Mother Mrs. Mary Miller - Hamilton - Ontario Sister Gladys Miller - Mitchell - Ontario
William was raised Presbyterian and would have attended Cromarty Presbyterian Church. He left school at the age of 16 after his completion of grade X. He took his Public Schooling at SS #2 in Hibbert Township and one year of High School after that. He enjoyed playing baseball. He had worked on the family farm and at the time of enlistment he had worked on the farm of S. Morris of Staffa.
Canada
William went to Stratford on June 17, 1940 into the Perth Regiment of the Canadian Active Service Force and at that time he stood 6' tall and weighed 154 pounds. He had a dark complexion with brown eyes and black hair. He was sent to the Perth Regiment Depot. He travelled to Camp Niagara and there on June 20th was married. The following day June 21 he was Taken on Strength with the Perth Regiment. He became ill with influenza and spent time in Hamilton General Hospital between November 27-December 16. Between December 17-January 5, 1941 he was on furlough. In the winter of 1941 between February 2-14 he was attached to Headquarters at Camp Borden to attend an Intelligence Course and then rejoined the Perth Regiment in Hamilton. Between August 27-September 7 he was posted to the CNE to assist is a military vehicle showing by Ford Motor of Canada and from there he joined the Regiment at Camp Borden.
Overseas
Private Miller was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada and embarked Canada from Halifax on October 5. The following day at sea he was Taken on Strength with the Canadian Army overseas. He disembarked in the UK at the port of Liverpool on October 19. Between Nov 4-8 he received landing leave. During 1941 he trained on the medium machine gun, rifle (2nd), pistol (2nd) and the light machine gun (2nd) The Perth Regiment was now into their training and in the early months of 1942 was awarded a week of leave twice and again in the first week of July. Between July 10-28 he was a patient at No. 8 General Hospital and from there to No. 1 Convalescent Depot. He was a patient at No. 8 General Hospital between November 25 - January 5, 1943. As 1943 arrived the training was ongoing and continued and the Perth Regiment was to be part of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division and be part of the 11th Brigade.
In the field
On October 26th Private Miller was Struck off Strength of the Canadian Army and embarked the UK. The following day he was Taken on Strength with the Canadian Army in the Mediterranean Theatre and disembarked in Italy on November 7. In 1943 he took further training on the rifle (1st) and the light machine gun (2nd) Between March 21-27, 1944 he was a patient at No.1 Canadian General Hospital and from March 27-April 14 he was a patient at No.14 General Hospital because he was suffering from Extosis and Bursitis. He took training in April on the 6 pounder anti tank gun. Then on May 21 he received wounds on the battlefield but remained on the line. The fighting that was taking place at this time was for the Gothic Line.
At the end of August, the 5th Armoured Division discovered that where they were on the Gothic Line was
weakly defended by the Germans. The original plan was for an artillery barrage being dropped to soften the
enemy, and instead the Canadians decided to gamble and they attacked on August 30th. The gamble was
successful because they broke the Gothic Line.
There were low - lying meadows on both sides of the Foglio River and these were treacherous. There were
no houses or trees because all had been flattened for a clear field of fire. In the river flats, the Germans had
laid minefield and anti-tank ditches 14 feet across. Machine gun posts were encased in concrete and were
connected by covered passages and deep dugouts. The wire obstacles were formidable and the German antitank guns were waiting for the Canadian armour. Dug in flame throwers were waiting for the Canadian
infantry and the skyline was dotted with the outline of Panther tanks. During the night of August 30/31, the Perth objective was to capture Point 111 along with the heights east
of Montecchio and they did so despite the delays in getting tank support. There was heavy fighting all along
the Gothic Line and the Perths were going to be the first to try and pry open and break the Gothic Line.
Even with all the heavy defences the Germans were not able to prevent the breakthrough by the Perths
because of the rapid advance by the Canadians and because they were spread too thin and because their
reserves were too far back the prevent the break in the line. The Perths were told there was no enemy above
the road and installed themselves on Point 11 and from there could look down on Montecchio and from
there they advanced and went further than their objective and took Point 147. At approximately noon on the 31st, they advanced so they could get on the main central spur leading to Monte Luro, and it was here that was the key to the German positions in the area. The Perths were to assist the British Columbia Dragoons in the assault on Hill 204 and Hill111 , and they were escorted by the Lord Strathcona Horse Armour, but then they all came under the most severe shelling they had yet experienced. That shelling resulted in the majority of the casualties suffered that day. At nightfall, the Perths were able to relieve the Dragoons.
During the night hours on the morning of September 1st, the Germans repeatedly counter attacked with the 26th German Panzer Regiment and the 4th German Parachute Regiment resulting in very bitter and hand to hand fighting and with the trenches changing hands a number of times. However, at daylight on the 1st, the Perths were still there and they were the first to break the Gothic Line and they were there to stay. The 11th Brigade then moved up to the Besanigo feature inland from Cattolica and there held a position that has harassed by the enemy
From the evening of August 30th until sunrise on September 1st, the Perths had lost 90 men either killed or
wounded. It was when the German counter attacked and when the hand - to - hand fighting took place that
Private Miller lost his life. He was originally buried in the 5th Canadian Armoured Division Cemetery along the Gothic Line.
On January 8, 1945 both his wife and his mother received the Memorial Cross. Private Miller's wife on November 17,1949 was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the Italy Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal + clasp.
William would be honoured and Remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Cromarty Presbyterian Church and on the Seaforth Cenotaph. He is also Honoured and Remembered on the Virtual Canadian War Memorial and the Perth Regiment Memorial.
