Lawrence John Miller was born on 6th April 1898 in Manitoba, Canada.
The 1901 Census for Canada on Ancestry.co.uk shows that the Miller family was living in Ward 6, Winnipeg City, Manitoba. Head of the household John Christopher Miller, aged 28 was born on the 9th December 1872. He originated from England and emigrated to Canada in 1890 and was a Shipper by trade. His wife Edith aged 31 was born on the 11th January 1869. She also was English and had emigrated in 1886. Their son Lawrence John Miller aged 2 was born in Manitoba.
Five years on we find the Miller family living at Lansdowne Avenue, Winnipeg City, and Lawrence was 8 years of age. I cannot trace the Miller family on any census returns after 1906.
Lawrence John Miller’s army records tell us that he enlisted into the 76th Depot Battery Canadian Field Artillery on 10th May 1918 at Winnipeg. He gave a home address of 634 Jubilee Ave. Winnipeg. He named his next of kin, John Christopher Miller, his father, of 90, Inland Revenue dept. Division # 36, Winnipeg. Lawrence gave his trade as a ‘Shipper’. He was single. The description on his medical form says he was 5ft 2in tall with a fair complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair.
After basic training in Canada, Lawrence embarked for England aboard the HMT Themistocles on 10th September 1918. He arrived in England on the 25th September 1918 when he was posted to Whitley Camp and then Kinmel Camp in Rhyl after hostilities ceased. Tragically Lawrence became ill on 18th December 1918 and was admitted to No.9 Canadian Military Hospital where his condition worsened and he died at 3.20 pm on 22nd December 1918 of Bronchial Pneumonia.
(from The Library of Canada)
Kinmel Park Camp was a segregation camp used to house Canadian Soldiers awaiting repatriation to Canada after the end of WW1. Unfortunately the conditions at that time were extremely harsh with a lack of every kind of commodity, the camp was overcrowded and the services were poor, there were shortages of clothing, food and blankets. As a result of this situation, a vast number of servicemen and women became ill and many succumbed to the Influenza Epidemic or complications associated with this infection.
Lawrence John Miller is buried in St. Margaret’s Cemetery, Bodelwyddan.
He is commemorated on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
