Ernest Albert McMillan

2^nd Lieutenant, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders

Ernest Albert McMillan was a student at Alleyn’s until 1899 and lived at 10 Hillside Road, Streatham Hill with his wife, May, and his son, Douglas before the outbreak of war. He was employed as a Clerk before he enlisted in the British Army in November 1915. After being attested, Ernest joined the Artists Rifles and served as a Rifleman with the regiment until June 1917, when he was transferred to the Officer Training Corps (OTC) after being recommended for a temporary commission. After receiving the necessary training, Ernest was granted the rank of 2^nd Lieutenant and joined his new regiment, the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, on the Western Front in 1918. In October, he was involved in a number of Allied operations as part of the Hundred Days Offensive, including a successful flanking movement that cleared an entire ridge without a single casualty. This skillful leadership later saw him awarded the Military Cross for his actions. Ernest continued to serve with the Highlanders until the end of the war and he returned home to England after the conflict came to a close in November 1918.