Private Leslie Mills
Regiment Unknown
Leslie Mills was born in 1893 at Jacksdale, son of Owen Mills an iron works labourer born Derby and his wife Mary (nee Swain) born Jacksdale, Notts. His father previously lived in West Leake, Notts and was an agricultural labourer, but the 1871 Census notes that he was ‘out of work’. Owen obviously seized the chance of employment at the Butterley Company’s Codnor Park Forge and moved to the Jacksdale area in the early 1870’s. In 1874 he married local girl Mary Swain and took up home at Stone Row, Jacksdale: cottages built to house iron works employees. Their first child Frances was born in about 1878 and children Thomas, Mary Anne, Joseph, George, Leslie and Edith Nellie followed.
From the mid 1870’s the family continued to live at Stone Row. In 1903 Leslie’s father Owen died, aged only 53 so his widow Mary and family left their tied cottage moving to Main Road, Jacksdale. In 1909 his mother Mary also died, aged 57. Both of his parents are buried at Westwood, St. Mary’s.
On the 1911 Census Leslie is employed as a brickyard labourer and was living with his older brother Thomas and his elder sister Annie (Mary Anne), who was keeping house.
Leslie is not listed on the Absent Voters Roll of 1918/1919 and as yet no military information has been forthcoming.