James William Mills was born on 29th July 1883 at Shadwell, one of eight children born to Allen and Sarah Elizabeth Mills. In 1901, he was living with his older brother, Frank, and sister, Catherine, at Maltkiln House in Kirkby Overblow, the brothers being employed as bootmakers. James married 21-year-old Elizabeth Morrell on 10th June 1907 at St. Agnes' Church, Burmantofts. The couple would live at Kirkby Overblow at least into 1911 and had five children: Frederick Allen (born 6th April 1908), Philip (13th June 1909), Leslie (30th October 1910), Alma (19th May 1912) and Frank Raymond (24th November 1913). It seems that between approximately 1906 and 1909, James served with the Yorkshire Hussars at Leeds.
After emigrating to Canada, James enlisted into the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 14th September 1915 at Toronto. He recrossed the Atlantic seven months later, disembarking at Liverpool on 6th May 1916. It would be a further thirteen months before he crossed the English Channel on 7th September 1917, and joined 18th Canadian Battalion (part of the 2nd Canadian Division) on 23rd November 1917. Promotion to corporal followed on 15th August 1918.
On 24th August 1918, the 2nd and 3rd Canadian divisions were given orders to advance to the Drocourt-Quéant Line, an extension of the Hindenburg Line. The offensive opened on the 26th and gained about three miles in the day. German resistance stiffened over the following two days. The battalion's actions over the 27th and 28th are recorded in its war diary:
With the Arras-Cambrai road as the left boundary, the battalion supported by the 20th Canadian Battalion attacked Vis-en-Artois at 10am [on the 27th]. By noon, Vis-en-Artois and the Sensee River and Sensee River Valley had been reached. At this juncture, a barrage scheduled to continue after half an hour's curtailment, failed to materialise. Consequently an outpost line, running from Vis-en-Artois along the west bank of the river had to be formed. Major McIntosh, acting O.C. of the battalion was wounded while reconnoitring forward positions, and the command of the unit fell to Major Bell. Lieutenant Spence, commanding "A" Company, was shot and killed by a German sniper and Lieutenant Gerrard suffered severe wounds from shell fire. Approx. casualties all ranks, 10 killed and 150 wounded.
Zero hour for [the operation on the 28th] was set for 12.30 noon. Battalion was in support of 20th Battalion. Heavy casualties were suffered in the advance to the slope of the Sensee River, machine gun nests and wire in the German line being equally heavy. Captain Mackedie was shot through the head and instantly killed while rushing a German gun nest; Lieutenant Cole, shot through the eye, was afterwards found dead; Major Graham and Lieutenants Lawrence, Donaldson and Krug were wounded. Under terrific fire the battalion was compelled to temporarily withdraw and take up a line in the sunken roads fronting the German wire east of the Sensee River. Approx. casualties all ranks, 10 killed and 70 wounded.
James William Mills was among those killed on 28th August. He is buried in Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt; coincidentally, the same burial place as another Kirkby Overblow man, Wilfrid Charles Bateson. The inscription on his headstone reads AT REST.