Whatever Happened To Bill Milner?

Home Page
Who is Bill Milner?
Milner Family 1940's
Milner Family 2000
Letters
M'Bro 1940's
M'Bro 2000
Castleford 1940's
Castleford 2000
Alsace 1940's
Alsace 2000
Pics & Clicks

The Milner Family - 1940's

Bill Milner was born in the village of Allerton Bywater on the outskirts of Castleford, West Yorkshire in 1920. Son of William Milner, his father's name passed onto him.

His childhood is unknown, due to the fact that many of his early family are sadly no more, but what we do know is that due to the era in which he was born the times were hard and that whatever luxuries were available turned out to be frugal. The world was in deep recession, Britain's empire was a shadow of it's former glory and the nation was just about adjusting after a vicious war which left many families without a father or sons.

Whatever play areas that Bill and his friends lost themselves in must have always been in the shadow of Castleford's huge industries. These were pottery, glass making and coal mining.
Although still in innocent days he knew, that unless he chose his own direction, a life in one of these industries was sure to come.
As we are about to find out he was not about to get a choice.

When war broke out, Bill did not sign up immediately. He, like many others, did not feel that the war would last long and only joined when British forces where low and the push to secure Europe needed every man to do his duty. After Bill signed up, he was moved to Buckinghamshire to carry out his training. It was here that he met Anne.
Anne was working the fields, just outside Aylesbury, as a land girl. She too was a long way from home and just like Bill was from the North of England. Anne hailed from Middlesbrough about 70 miles north-east of Castleford.

They soon fell in love and with Bill about to be based at RAF Binbrook in Lincolnshire, to fly as a gunner, they decided to get married.
Anne based the family home back in her home town of Middlesbrough. Before long Anne gave Bill two sons, Daniel & Barry, and there could never be a prouder father. The thoughts of his sons must have been constant with him every time he flew a mission.

On the 28th of April 1944, Bill and his crew mates were shot down over the village of Appenwihr in the Alsace region of France. They all lost their lives.
Anne received a telegram on the 3rd of May, saying that Bill was 'missing in action'. After months of sending letters Anne finally received the telegram she knew would come but prayed it would never.
Almost 2 years after being informed of Bill's plane being shot down she was told he had been killed.
The telegram was dated 9th of March 1945.

Anne, after her grief, realised that she could not support a family on her own. She met Harry Janes a few years after the war and they got married. Daniel and Barry soon had two half-sisters, Anne & Jan.

Bill's father William carried on living in Allerton Bywater and remarried after Bill's mother death.
He outlived his son by almost 30 years. He is buried next to his second wife, Ethel, in St Mary's in Allerton Bywater. The same church were they honoured his son by dedicating a window in his honour, along with all of Allerton Bywaters' brave soldiers.