Military service
Burial/memorial information
Son of John and Mary Miller of Cobalt, Ontario; husband of Mary Miller, of Brockville, Ontario.
Digital gallery of Private Wilson Miller
Digital gallery of
Private Wilson Miller
Gananoque, Ontario is a small town situated on the St. Lawrence River in the heart of 1,000 Islands. It is one of hundreds of communities throughout Canada with war memorials which commemorate more than 110,000 men and women who lost their lives during both world wars. Over a thousand citizens from Gananoque and surounding areas served in the navy, army, or air force: 83 lost their lives in parts of Canada, and in the battlefields of Europe. Among the dead of Gananoque include a 15 year old solider, a father of ten, four sets of brothers and a Victoria Cross winner. <P>
Today the town cenotaph lists the names of those who died and few citizens are aware of their family backgrounds or their circumstances of their deaths. Geraldine Chase of Gannaoque and Bill Beswetherick of Kingston believed it was necessary to collect this information and perpetuate their sacrifices.<P>
Gananoque Remembers book is a tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom.<P>
Digital gallery of
Private Wilson Miller
Pte. Wilson Miller's name appears on the Gananoque Ontario War Memorial.
Digital gallery of
Private Wilson Miller
Digital gallery of
Private Wilson Miller
Wilson Miller is honoured on page 41 of the <i>Gananoque Remembers</i> booklet, published on January 31, 2005.<P>
He enlisted 14 July 1915 at age 29 and was assigned to the 44th Battalion (Manitoba) but later was transferred to the 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada). He arrived in France in June 1916 and soon found himself at the Somme. On 3 September the Australians made their final attack at the Somme assisted by about 400 men from the 13th Canadian Battalion. Their objective was a small farm on Pozieres Ridge. Although they failed to capture it, they seized 300 metres of German trenches but then were subjected to an intense artillery barrage which killed or wounded 322 Canadians, an incredibly high casualty rate. Among the dead was Private Wilson Miller, age 30, who was killed 4 September.
Digital gallery of
Private Wilson Miller
Canada's Vimy Memorial, located approximately 8 kilometres to the north-east of Arras, France. May the sacrifice of so many never be forgotten. (J. Stephens)
Image gallery
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Gananoque, Ontario is a small town situated on the St. Lawrence River in the heart of 1,000 Islands. It is one of hundreds of communities throughout Canada with war memorials which commemorate more than 110,000 men and women who lost their lives during both world wars. Over a thousand citizens from Gananoque and surounding areas served in the navy, army, or air force: 83 lost their lives in parts of Canada, and in the battlefields of Europe. Among the dead of Gananoque include a 15 year old solider, a father of ten, four sets of brothers and a Victoria Cross winner. <P> Today the town cenotaph lists the names of those who died and few citizens are aware of their family backgrounds or their circumstances of their deaths. Geraldine Chase of Gannaoque and Bill Beswetherick of Kingston believed it was necessary to collect this information and perpetuate their sacrifices.<P> Gananoque Remembers book is a tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom.<P>
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Pte. Wilson Miller's name appears on the Gananoque Ontario War Memorial.
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Wilson Miller is honoured on page 41 of the <i>Gananoque Remembers</i> booklet, published on January 31, 2005.<P> He enlisted 14 July 1915 at age 29 and was assigned to the 44th Battalion (Manitoba) but later was transferred to the 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada). He arrived in France in June 1916 and soon found himself at the Somme. On 3 September the Australians made their final attack at the Somme assisted by about 400 men from the 13th Canadian Battalion. Their objective was a small farm on Pozieres Ridge. Although they failed to capture it, they seized 300 metres of German trenches but then were subjected to an intense artillery barrage which killed or wounded 322 Canadians, an incredibly high casualty rate. Among the dead was Private Wilson Miller, age 30, who was killed 4 September.
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Canada's Vimy Memorial, located approximately 8 kilometres to the north-east of Arras, France. May the sacrifice of so many never be forgotten. (J. Stephens)
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 135 of the First World War Book of Remembrance.
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VIMY MEMORIAL Pas de Calais, France
Canada's most impressive tribute overseas to those Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the First World War is the majestic and inspiring Vimy Memorial, which overlooks the Douai Plain from the highest point of Vimy Ridge, about eight kilometres northeast of Arras on the N17 towards Lens. The Memorial is signposted from this road to the left, just before you enter the village of Vimy from the south. The memorial itself is someway inside the memorial park, but again it is well signposted. At the base of the memorial, these words appear in French and in English:
Inscribed on the ramparts of the Vimy Memorial are the names of over 11,000 Canadian soldiers who were posted as 'missing, presumed dead' in France.
A plaque at the entrance to the memorial states that the land for the battlefield park, 91.18 hectares in extent, was 'the free gift in perpetuity of the French nation to the people of Canada'. Construction of the massive work began in 1925, and 11 years later, on July 26, 1936, the monument was unveiled by King Edward VIII.
The park surrounding the Vimy Memorial was created by horticultural experts. Canadian trees and shrubs were planted in great masses to resemble the woods and forests of Canada. Wooded parklands surround the grassy slopes of the approaches around the Vimy Memorial. Trenches and tunnels have been restored and preserved and the visitor can picture the magnitude of the task that faced the Canadian Corps on that distant dawn when history was made.
On April 3, 2003, the Government of Canada designated April 9th of each year as a national day of remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
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