Colonel Sir John Digby Mills (29 September 1879 – 2 July 1972) was a British Conservative Party politician and British Army officer. He served as Member of Parliament for New Forest and Christchurch from 1932 to 1945.
Sir John Mills | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for New Forest and Christchurch | |
| In office 1932–1945 | |
| Preceded by | Wilfrid Ashley |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Digby Mills 29 September 1879 |
| Died | 2 July 1972 (aged 92) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Carola Tuck (after 1918) |
| Parent(s) | Rev. Cecil Mills Anne Henrietta Frances Nicolls |
| Education | Charterhouse School |
| Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford |
Early life edit
Mills was born on 29 September 1879 to The Reverend Cecil Mills and Anne Henrietta Frances Mills, née Nicolls.[1][2] He was christened on 2 November 1879.[3] He was educated at Charterhouse, then an all-boys public school in Surrey.[2] He studied at Oriel College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.[2]
Career edit
In 1901, Mills was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Warwickshire Yeomanry of the Imperial Yeomanry, British Army.[2][4] He saw active service in Egypt, Gallipoli, and France.[2] He left the British Army in 1920, with the rank of major.[2]
On 2 September 1939, Mills became a lieutenant in the National Defence Companies.[5] In 1940, he was a group organiser for the Local Defence Volunteers.[2] From 1941 to 1943, he was commander of the New Forest Group of the Home Guard, and held the rank of colonel.[2] From 1943 to 1945, he served as second in command of the Hampshire Zone.[2]
Political career edit
Mills was elected as the Member of Parliament for New Forest and Christchurch between 1932 and 1945.[6] From 1943 to 1945, he was the Second Church Estates Commissioner, the link between the Church of England and the House of Commons.[2]
Church career edit
Mills was a Member of House of Laity between 1944 and 1960, and a Church Commissioner between 1948 and 1958.[7]
Personal life edit
On 16 June 1918, Mills married Carola Marshall Tuck (1889–1995) at the British Consulate-General in Alexandria, Egypt.[8] Carola was the daughter of Somerville Pinkney Tuck and Emily Rosalie Snowden (née Marshall) Tuck and sister of diplomat Somerville Pinkney Tuck.[9] Together they lived at Bisterne Manor in Ringwood, Hampshire and Taverham Hall in Norfolk, and had three sons, including:[2]
- John Micklethwait Mills OBE (1919–2009), a Maj. who married Prudence Mercy Emmeline Matthews, youngest daughter of Sir Ronald Matthews.
- Giles Hallam Mills CVO CB OBE (1922–2011), a Maj.-Gen. of the Royal Green Jackets who married his cousin, Emily Snowden Hallam Tuck, a daughter of William Hallam Tuck, in 1947.[10]
Knighthood and death edit
Mills was knighted in 1958 and died on 2 July 1972.[11]
