TOPIC:

Hi Brian,

I can assure you that Lt Col Noel Douglas McMillan that you refer to was my grandfather, an officer and later MP for Durban. He died in 1961, when I was six months old, so I unfortunately did not get to know him.My family always talked a lot about him, hence my interest in his personal history.

You are right about the Memorial Plaque and the WWI medals, of course. I was confused: they were awarded to my grandmother's brother, an RAF pilot killed in Belgium a week before the Armistice. My grandfather had a brother, Elliot, who died in the 50s, and another who died very young.

My father died eight years ago, so I no longer have a source of information on my grandfather.

I am curious to know how you obtained the medals as my father kept all of his father's belongings. I am also glad that a collector has them!

I have attached a photo of his portrait.

Regards,

Bruce.

Hi Brian,

It seems that the photo of my grandfather's portrait was too large to send as an attachment, so I will try again.

Hi Brian,

It seems that the photo of my grandfather's portrait was too large to send as an attachment, so I will try again.

Regards,

Bruce.

Hi Bruce

I hope David does not mind this banter on his website, as it is not relevant to the Boer War at all. Sorry David.

Thanks for clearing that up, sorry to hear about your Fathers passing. Your father gave a lot of personal items of your Grandfathers to the NMR museum a long time ago. A few years later he went there to see them and they were all missing. He gave them 2 weeks to produce the items and they could not. He therefore told them that as they could not look after a few mundane items, they could not be trusted custodians of his medals and he sold them to a Durban collector. This collector awhile later in another good gesture offered to sell them to the NMR Regiment for what he paid for them, they now claimed they did not have money and wanted them to be donated free of charge. The collector then sold them on to another collector, I believe in Cape Town? A few years later they were then placed on an auction, this was how I came to acquire them.

Here is a short summary of his life and military history:

Lt. Col N.D. McMILLAN
British War Medal; Allied War Medal; 1939/45 Star; Africa Star; War Medal; Africa Service Medal; 1953 Coronation medal; Colonial Auxiliary Forces’ Decoration; Colonial Auxiliary Forces’ Long Service medal.

Noel Douglas McMillan was a Hilton College old boy. Between the wars he farmed and was a teacher at Highbury Preparatory School (his mother being the founder). During WW I McMillan served in East Africa with the 8th and 5th SA Horse (1916-1917). He subsequently obtained a commission with the Natal Mounted Rifles in 1921. McMillan was appointed OC of the 1st Battalion of the NMR in 1940 and served in East Africa and Abyssinia (1940-41). As OC He was allocated the first number in the UDF batch allocations for the NMR Regiment, number 1001. During the East African campaign he returned to the Union because of ill health. Months later he rejoined his regiment in North Africa but after a few months was once again deemed as unfit and returned to the Union. He was appointed OC 1st Battalion of the Youth Training Brigade in Pretoria. After the war he returned to Highbury but time had moved on and his brother had taken control. He left Highbury and went farming on the South Coast. He was later elected Member of Parliament for Durban Central. Jan Smuts was a personal friend and stayed over on visits to Durban. His Long Service medal was awarded in 1936 and his Long Service Decoration in 1939. The Coronation medal was awarded to him as a Member of Parliament. He died in 1961.

I hope this helps.
Regards
Brian

No problem at all, Brian.

Bruce,

If you can email the file to me at david.biggins [at] angloboerwar.com, I will upload it for you.