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Australians
in the Boer War
Oz-Boer Database Project |
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Full Record
Hint: This site is intended as a search aid - not a definitive source. It is essentially an index to documents that seem to relate to this person plus a very brief precis of relevant elements. Sources often conflict and I also flag things with a ? when I am unsure. So if the information below is important to you, then please check the original sources to see what else they contain (and in case I have inadvertantly introduced transcription and/or precising errors). There can be additional information that was not included in the database for both space and copyright reasons.
| Surname | | MILLER |
| Given Name(s) or Initial(s) | | David |
| Regimental Number | | |
| Rank | | Major |
| Unit Name | | New South Wales Imperial Bushmen |
| State | | NSW |
Extracts and Comments
(from Sources as shown) | |
Murray: Ag. Paymaster Staff Officer O'sea Colonials Cape Town 7.1901-9.1901, Queen's South Africa medal and 4 clasps.
URL1: 1857-1934, 14 months service in Africa with NSWIB, biography and photo.
URL2: The steamer Narrung arrived yesterday [8.11.1901] from Cape Town with a number of returning Australian soldiers including Major MILLER New South Wales, who acted as Staff Officer for the Australian Contingents at Cape Town; Captain NEISIGH New South Wales who acted as OC for Bate's Details; Lieutenant OVERTON New Zealand; Sergeant LOVE 4th Victorian Contingent; Sergeant MORRISON and Trooper MCPHERSON of th e Scottish Horse.
URL3: Athletics v. Aesthetics. Yachting, riding, cycling, shooting. In his recreations you have a perfect index to the type and character of Colonel David MILLER, general manager of the American Fleet Celebration Committee. No beauty actress, no pretty danseuse, no love-making stage Adonis is more pursued at the moment. The pace is terrific. But he will see it out, and finish, as racing men say, "without turning a hair." Athletics have played too small a part in the making of Public Servants. There have been too many pale-faced clerks, grown old at the head of Departments. A new generation is springing up in the Service, fresh air men who are worth three of the old stick-at-the-desk, rule-of-thumb, superior persons, who are passing into the past. Colonel David MILLER is only just turned the half-centurv, and he has held big billets for the past ten years. And what he has won has been gained on his own bat, and what he has taken he has held. He is a native of Sydney, and entered the New South Wales service as a cadet - not one of those aesthetic youths who were more concerned about their cuffs than their work, but from the jump a solid, busy, hard-grafting clerk, ambitious, and anxious to put his back behind his ambition. At that time there seemed a fair prospect of promotion through Land Settlement in the Survey Branch of the Lands Department. Into it young MILLER went, sturdy-framed and resolute, and built up his physique by carrying the theodolite and chains half-way over New South Wales. But when he approached manhood it became manifest that the prizes in the Government Survey Department were very limited in number and not exceptionally well remunerated. So young MILLER stopped in his run for the Surveyor-Generalship, studied accountancy, was made accountant of the Department of Agriculture under Duncan MCLACHLAN (now Federal Public Service Commissioner), was transferred to the Chief Circumlocution Department, the Government Printing office, reorganised it, was transferred to the Treasury as an inspector, went to South Africa to the war, came back to Sydney, and was appointed secretary for the Federal Department of Home Affairs, newly created, formless and void. A Cabinet Secret. His arrival there was due to a curious chapter of accidents. When Lord Hopetoun commissioned Sir William LYNE to form the first Commonwealth Cabinet he imposed the condition that he (Lord Hopetoun) should approve its personnel. If Sir Frederick HOLDER, then Premier of South Australia, had consented to join Sir William LYNE, the latter would have succeeded. But Sir Frederick demurred. Sir William had to return his commission. Sir. E. Barton was sent for. Lord Hopetoun, in sympathy for a thwarted man, urged that Sir William LYNE should he included in the Government, and in he went as Minister for Home Affairs. That meant, that Sir William would take in his own clerical staff on the American spoils system. He didn't turn at once to Colonel MILLER. He first chose his private secretary. While he was Premier of New South Wales WD BINGLE, a shorthand clerk, devilled for him. Mr. BINGLE was in a room behind the Premier's office. Back steps led to it. The ordinary public waited for hours in the front corridor to see the Premier. Those knowing the ropes popped up the back steps, and reached him through the BINGLE office. The resourceful BINGLE therefore came to Melbourne as private secretary. But in a few weeks the Department required a head. Mr. JL FEGAN, a coal miner by-trade before he entered the State Parliament, had helped Sir William LYNE to turn out Mr. GH REID and get office. Sir William LYNE wished to show his gratitude bv making Mr. Fegan Secretary for Home Affairs. But he spoke before he acted. The public and the press did not feel tremendously indebted to Mr. FEGAN for putting Sir William on the Treasury benches. The press blew the gaff. Sir E BARTON Barton and his colleagues were fearfully perturbed when they thus learnt for the first time of the FEGAN deal, but they said nothing, and waited for the suggestion to be made in Cabinet. Had Sir William LYNE stuck to his guns and sworn by all his gods that it was FEGAN or nothing, he might have got the appointment through, but he did not toe the mark. While the public raged he quietly dropped the project. It was never mentioned formally inside the Cabinet-room. Pressure of public opinion did what Ministers might have failed to accomplish, and as the second string to his bow Colonel MILLER arrived unostentatiously from Sydney by the Sydney Express. No one on this side knew him. There was a rush for records to pick out his career. He assumed office, as it were, under a cloud. Perhaps his greatest achievement is that that cloud is now only a faint memory. ...[much more]...
URL4: Major David MILLER, who had been chief staff officer for the embarkation of oversea colonial troops at Capetown, examined, stated, that troopships were not detained after the embarkation of men, but put to sea at once, except when it was desired that the enrolment should be checked. Every precaution was taken against stow aways. The officer in command supplied him with a roll, and a man's name was called out when he embarked. He could not speak, as to the Drayton Grange, because he left South Africa in October last. The authorities were very lenient in the matter of men's kits/but that they should be allowed to litter the troop decks was contrary to the regulations. That men should go on board suffering from illness would be contrary to the practice. A troopship was carefully inspected by a naval officer, with the embarkation officer and a medical officer, and these satisfied themselves that the regulations had been more than complied with. It was the order of the general officer commanding the Capetown base that not more than 75 per cent, of the men for which the ship had accommodation should be placed on board. That order was invariably carried out.
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| Source References | |
Murray: Official Records of the Australian Contingents etc. page(s) 87 89 90
Argus: Melbourne Argus newspaper date(s) 9.11.1901 Punch (Melbourne Vic.) date(s) 23.7.1908
Melb. Age: Age newspaper, Melbourne date(s) 3.9.1902
| | External Link URL1 | | www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100493b.htm | | External Link URL2 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9615611 | | External Link URL3 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article176017689 | | External Link URL4 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article187635520 |
Please email me if you can
contribute any other relevant information about this person (eg any
other military service, where in Australia they came from or when/where
they died). Also, if you find an external link broken.
Apology: For some time now it has been difficult to keep up with the newly available sources (especially the Trove newspaper site) plus the flow of contributions and queries. So I have been forced to prioritise maintenance and data entry over replying to correspondence. Nevertheless, your contributions are being added to the database and acknowledged on the contributions page and, although my replies are many months behind, I will attempt to get to them more often.
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