| Robert Mills was the youngest son of William and Margaret Mills. William Mills and Margaret Kane were married on 12th November 1888 in the district of Dungannon.
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| Robert Mills was born on 21st March 1896. He was one of at least five children, all born in the Fivemiletown area.
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| Known family: William Mills, Margaret Mills, William Mills (born 16th January 1889), Eliza Mills (born 3rd June 1891), Maggie Mills (born 2nd February 1894), Robert Mills (born 21st March 1896), Alice Mills (born 26th April 1901).
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| The 1901 census lists Robert as age 5 living with the family at house 12 in Tullyquinn Glebe, Aughintane, County Tyrone. His father and his mother were both labourers.
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| The 1911 census paper, although slightly damaged, shows Robert as age 15 still living with the family at house 12 in Tullyquin Glebe, Aughintane, County Tyrone. His father is listed as a farm servant, as is Robert.
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| Robert Mills enlisted in November 1914.
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| Private Robert Mills arrived in France on 6th October 1915 with the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons Service Squadron, Service No 155. The squadron was then serving as divisional cavalry to the 36th (Ulster) Division.
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| In June 1916 Mills' squadron joined C and F Squadrons of the North Irish Horse to form the 2nd North Irish Horse Regiment, serving as corps cavalry to X Corps until September 1917, when the regiment was disbanded and most of the men were transferred to the infantry. Like the majority, on 20 September Mills joined the 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers. He was posted to A Company.
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| Private Mills was taken prisoner of war on 2nd April 1918 at the Battle of Kemmel Hill
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| By October 1918 he was being held at Friedrichsfeld, and soon after, at Merseberg. During the time he was a prisoner in Germany, he got hurt working at bar iron and septic poisoning set in.
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| Private Mills was released after the Armistice and was sent to hospital in France.
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| From France he was brought home to England and sent to the U.V.F. Hospital in Belfast where he was discharged in June 1919.
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| In October 1919 Private Robert Mills was admitted to hospital again, suffering from his former injury.
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| Meningitis set in and Private Robert Mills died in Armagh on Monday 26th October 1919.
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| At his funeral, a detachment of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry stationed at Enniskillen was present and marched in front of the hearse. Immediately after the hearse, the Fivemiletown branch of the Comrades of the Great War, numbering over forty, marched the procession in charge of Lieutenant Armstrong and Captain Robert Bloomfield.
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| The Rev John McDowell held a service at the house prior to the funeral and also officiated at the graveside after which the usual volleys were fired and the Last Post sounded.
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| From the Tyrone Courier and Dungannon News dated Thursday 6 November 1919: Military Funeral
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| The funeral of Private Robert Mills, late 9th Royal Irish Fusiliers, took place on Tuesday from his father's residence Aughintane to Fivemiletown Churchyard with military honours and was very largely attended by all classes and creeds. The deceased joined up in November 1914 and went out to France in 1915 being transferred to the Ulster Division. He was taken prisoner of war on 2nd April 1918 at the battle of Kemmel Hill and was released after the Armistice. During the time he was a prisoner in Germany, he got hurt working at bar iron and septic poisoning set in and he was sent to hospital in France after the Armistice. From there he was brought home to England and sent to the U.V.F. Hospital in Belfast where he was discharged last June. Three weeks ago he was admitted to Omagh Infirmary suffering from his formal injury and meningitis set in and he passed away on Monday morning last.
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| A detachment of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry stationed at Enniskillen was present and marched in front of the hearse. Immediately after the hearse, the Fivemiletown branch of the Comrades of the Great War, numbering over forty, marched the procession in charge of Lieutenant Armstrong and Captain Robert Bloomfield. The Rev John McDowell held a service at the house prior to the funeral and also officiated at the graveside after which the usual volleys were fired and the Last Post sounded. The deceased was only twenty-three years of age and was most popular with everybody and great sympathy is felt for his parents and family in their sad bereavement.
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| Private Robert Mills is buried in Fivemiletown Church of Ireland Cemetery.
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| Private Robert Mills is also commemorated locally on Fivemiletown War Memorial.
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| Private Robert Mills is listed on page 79 of the Fivemiletown book, from which some of these details come from.
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| Many thanks to Mark Byers in Fivemiletown and the North Irish Horse Facebook page.
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