Sarah Elizabeth Gempton Mills

                                                                 Portrait of Sarah Elizabeth Gempton  1888 - 1975

Joseph Phillip Mills was born into a fishing family ,in Brixham, in 1843 and together with his wife Mary Grace Shears (b1840) moved to Ramsgate Kent. It was not unusual for Brixham Sailing Trawlers to fish around the coast of England in search of the best fishing grounds and then settle their family in the nearest port. In the 1871 Census, Joseph was shown living with his family in 22 Staffordshire St Ramsgate and is listed as a Fisherman with son Samuel listed as aged 7 (b1864). 

Above photos show Samuel's "Second Hand" Certificate for working on Sailing Trawlers, Certificate of Discharge and the Victory Medal presented to him as a Royal Naval Volunteer at the end of the Ist World War.

Samuel was born in Brixham in 1864 and married Olive Gifford (b1865) in Brixham in February 1890. In 1901 they were living in Prospect Road with family Samuel (10), Percy (3) and Olive(2mths).The 1911 Census shows them living at 12 Station Hill, Brixham and Samuel Snr is listed as a Fisherman. Their children are listed as Samuel, Percy, Lizzie and George. Samuel Henry's (19) occupation is shown as a Yachtsman. Samuel Henry's brother's Percy and George would also become Mariners but would serve in the Merchant Navy. Samuel Snr died in Brixham in 1919.

                Above Photo dated 1915  L to R - George , Lizzie, Olive and Samuel Mills Snr. with photos of Percy & Samuel on the table.

             Samuel Mills and his wife Olive. née Gifford, and son Percy on Betty I, a Brixham SailingTrawler. Cruising Torbay August 1911. 

                                                                                                                                                    George Gifford Mills  1906 - 1991

George Gifford Mills  was Apprenticed, in the Merchant Navy, for a period of 4 years  to Stevens, Sutton Ltd, of  Newcastle on Tyne. An amusing part of the Apprentice Indenture is the line where his pay is documented stating " with an allowance of 12 shillings per annum in lieu of washing" ?! In January 1930, George married Harriet Eva Mary Beagen (b.1908) in Barnstaple, Devon. They had 2 children, William George Gifford (b.1930) and Margaret Olive (b 1944). The above photo shows George working as a Signalman at Barstaple Town Station at the time of the line closure due to budget cuts. George died in January 1991 in Bideford.

Written by his son Gordon :- " Born in Brixham, South Devon, it was natural that George would follow in his family traditionof seafaring and so he entered an apprenticeship in the Merchant Navy. Unfortunately the end of his apprenticeship coincided with the Great Depression in the late 1920's and the ship he had served on together with hundreds of others were laid up and many sold overseas. Moving to North Devon, he found employment with the Southern Railway at Barnstaple Junction around 1931/2. The following year he was established on a permanent basis with the Company.He transferred to Bideford Goods Yard in 1934 as a Goods Porter and eventually as a Porte/Signalman at Bideford Passenger Station in the 1940's. Following the war years, he became a Porter/Signalman at Portsmaouth Arms on the Exeter to Barnstaple line and finally Signalman at Barnstaple Town Station, retiring from there shortly before the closure of the Barnstaple to Ilfracombe line in 1970"  

There is a display in Ilfracombe Museum of George's uniform and many of his and general railway memorabilia.

                                                                                      Percy Victor Mills 1897 - 1969

 Percy Victor was born in Brixham in 1897. In the 1911 Census he isshown ling in the family home at 12 Station Hill. He was destined for a career in the Merchant Navy and by the age of 20 in 1917, he earned a Certificate of Competency as Second Mate for Foreign Going Steamships. Above left, shows him progressing to First Officer, South Shields, Tyne & Weir. In August 1923, Percy married Ivy Mary Plumb in Harwich, Essex. Ivy was born in Harwich in 1901 and lived in 23 Church Street. They had 2 children, Barry Victor (b.1924) and Rosemary A (b 1942). Percy retired from the Merchant Navy with the rank of Captain and died in Holsworthy in 1969 at the age of 71 years. His wife Ivy, died in February 1989.

                                     Samuel Henry Mills  1891 -1941  and Sarah Elizabeth Gempton 1888 - 1975

My g. Aunt, Sarah Elizabeth, was born in Ranscombe Rd, Brixham in 1991. Her sisters were Ethel (b1883), Ellen (b1885) and Mary (b1897). Her brothers were John (Jack b1891), my grandfather James Henry (b1892) and William (b1895).

There is a tradition in the Brixham fishing communities that sees their children marrying due to their close family connections. That was the case for the Gempton/Mills fishing & trawler owning families. Samuel Henry Mills, married Sarah Elizabeth Gempton at All Saints Church in Brixham in August 1915. They started married life living at 49 King Street, Brixham, in the family home of her father John Gempton and mother Mary Halliday. Their first 2 children, Ronald Gempton Mills (b.1918) and Eric John Mills were born in King Street. Wilfred was born in 1916 but sadly died at birth.

                                All Saints Church, Brixham                                                                               49 King Street, Brixham 

A photo taken  in April 1924 at the wedding of Harry Bowden and Lizzie Mills ( Samuel's sister) :- Back left to right- Percy Mills,Joy, Best man, Sarah Elizabeth Gempton Front -Olive Gifford, Charles Bowden, Mary Elizabeth Mills & Samuel Henry Mills Children L-R Eric & Ron Mills 

            Photo above shows Eric with his hand on father Samuel's shoulder with possibly William Gempton on one of the family's trawlers.

 In the 1921 Census, Samuel and his family were living at 3 Wadham Terrace, Devonport and he was listed as a Fitters Labourer at H.M Dockyard, Plymouth 

The above photos were taken in 1927 in Rockdale a suburb of southern Sydney, New South Wales, where the family settled. Sarah is shown holding Leslie who was born in Australia in the same year.  The lower photo on the left was taken in 1929 and shows (Samuel) Allan aged 6 with brother Leslie 2. On the right is Eric and Ronald. Cyril James Mills was born in 1929 and sadly died at birth.

           Above :-  1937.  Samuel and family  in Sydney .                                                                1940.  Samuel and Sarah .                     

Capt Samuel Henry Mills died on October 8th 1941 ans was buried at Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, New South Wales. He was laid to rest in what would become the family grave which contained Cyril James Mills who died in 1929. His wife, Sarah Elizabeth would also be buried there in July 1975.

 Photo below shows the marriage of  Eric  & Vera (Peace) in October 1943 at St Andrews Cathedral, Sydney N.S.W.  Above left shows the entry in the marriage register . Ronald (Best Man) and Anne (Bridesmaid)

Photo of the Mills families taken in 1966. From L to R,  Leslie married Joyce Bookham Ist October 1956 in Weethalle, N.S.W.  Allan married Beryl Holt  in July 1944 at Concord, N.S.W.  Eric  married Vera (Peace)  Brightwell at St Andrews, Sydney  and Ronald married  Anne Murray in Sydney in 1940. After the death of Anne in 1968, Ronald married his second wife Iris May Browne 25th September 1971.

Allan died suddenly on 21st November 1981, aged 58 years, and was buried at Grafton, New South Wales.  Audrey died on 7th May 2002 in Darwin, Northern Territory. He left behind 7 children - Beryl (b1946) Susan (b1947) Andrew (b1949) Samuel (b1951) Allison (b1954) Stephen (b1956) and Peta (b1962).

Photo taken in 1996 at Les's farm at Blue Mountains, Sydney. Back left to right - Les, Geoff Edge, Carol, Fiona and Graham Ronald Mills. Front row - Joyce, Vera (Peace), Georgina + Ellen Jean Stokoe, Ronald, Margaret Olive, Iris, Brian Henry Hockerday, Carol , Sean Elliot Stokoe. Margaret Olive (b 1944) and husband Brian Henry (b 1944) are relatives visiting from England. Margaret's father was George Gifford Mills who was the brother of Samual Henry Mills, father of Leslie Mills.

Les in 2015 age 88 + photo of his brothers taken in 1929. Les died in April 2018 and was buried in Westhalle, Bland Shire, NSW. Joyce died in May 2019  in Picton, N.S.W and was buried with Leslie in the family grave.