Petty 0fficer Herbert Miller
| Date of Birth | c1883 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 35 |
| Date of Death | 23/04/1918 |
| Service Number | 210224 |
| Military Service | Royal Navy HMS Vindictive |
| Merton Address | 5 Park Avenue Mitcham |
| Local Memorial | St. Barnabas' Church, Mitcham |
Additional Information
Herbert was the fourth child of Mary Anne and Charles Miller. Herbert was baptised on the 17th 0ctober 1883 at Christ Church in north Brixton. Charles Miller was employed as a Hackney carriage driver, who resided with his wife and children at 30 Russell Street.
The 1891 Census reveals that the Miller family resided at 49 Forriemore Street in Kensington.
By 1901, nineteen-year-old Herbert had enlisted in the navy.
According to the 1911 Census, Herbert was an able seaman in the Royal Navy. Mary Anne and Charles had been married for 29 years and had a total of 6 children and the Miller family resided at 5 Park Avenue in Mitcham Surrey.
Herbert was killed in action while serving aboard HMS Vindictive at Zeebrugge on the 23rd of April 1918. The Zeebrugge Raid was an attempt by Britain to neutralize the Belgian port which was used by the German Navy as a base for their U-boats and light shipping and consequently posed a threat in the North Sea and Channel. The Vindictive was intended to make diversionary attack against the Mole enclosing the harbour, then land a force of marines and cover them in an attempt to silence the German guns. Because a change of wind made a planned smokescreen ineffective, Vindictive came under heavy fire and was forced to put men ashore in the wrong place, with the result that German artillery was not silenced by the marines. HMS Vindictive took heavy damage in action but came away successfully and was alongside the Mole and was finally sunk as a blockship less than a month later in a similar raid on 0stend.