Pte
Miller Mack
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 01/03/1894 |
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Place of birth: Murray Bridge, South Australia, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: Point McLeay (Raukkan), South Australia, Australia |
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Profession: Labourer |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 2949 |
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Enlistment date: 23/08/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 50th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 03/09/1919 |
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Place of death: Bedford Park Sanatorium, South Australia, Australia |
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Cause of death: Died of Disease |
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Age: 25 |
Cemetery
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Raukkan Aboriginal Cemetery Plot: Unknown Row: Unknown Grave: Unknown |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 5
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) | ||
| #5 | Memorial |
My story
Miller Mack was born on 1 March 1894 in Murray Bridge, South Australia, the son of John and Margaret “Pinkie” Mack (née Karpany). He was a member of the Ngarrindjeri people, an Aboriginal community from the region around the Murray River. Before the war he lived near Point McLeay, a place known since 1982 as Raukkan. There he worked as a labourer for the Point McLeay Mission Station.
Miller Mack enlisted in the Australian Army on 23 August 1916 in Adelaide, South Australia. He did so together with his friends Francis Alban Varcoe and Clifford Tony Wilson. Only Wilson would survive the war. Mack enlisted as a Private with the 50th Infantry Battalion, part of the 13th Brigade, 4th Australian Division. Private Mack received his training at Mitcham Camp. On 6 November 1916 he embarked aboard the ship Afric bound for the United Kingdom and arrived in Plymouth, Devon, on 9 January 1917. There he was posted to the 13th Training Battalion at Codford, Wiltshire.
During his training Mack caught a cold. He struggled with his health and was hospitalised twice. He nevertheless rejoined his unit and on 9 May 1917 embarked for France.
In early June 1917, Miller Mack and the 50th Infantry Battalion took part in the Battle of Messines. In early July the battalion was stationed near De Seule Camp. Although Private Mack had been suffering from respiratory problems for some time, his condition worsened there. He experienced chest pains and developed a severe, persistent cough. He was evacuated to England. Initially he was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, but tuberculosis was later confirmed.
At the end of September 1917 he was evacuated to Australia, arriving there in late November 1917. He was hospitalised at Torrens Park and later at Nunyara Sanatorium in Belair. In May 1918 he was discharged from the army as medically unfit. He returned to Point McLeay in November of that year, but remained seriously ill. He was admitted to the Bedford Park Sanatorium for returned soldiers suffering from tuberculosis.
On 3 September 1919, at the age of 25, Miller Mack died in the sanatorium from the effects of tuberculosis. He was initially buried in an unmarked communal grave at West Terrace Cemetery near Adelaide. His grave was later marked by the Office of Australian War Graves. In 2015 Mack’s descendants requested the repatriation of his remains to Raukkan. This took place on 24 March 2017, and Private Mack is today buried at Raukkan Aboriginal Cemetery.
Miller Mack enlisted in the Australian Army on 23 August 1916 in Adelaide, South Australia. He did so together with his friends Francis Alban Varcoe and Clifford Tony Wilson. Only Wilson would survive the war. Mack enlisted as a Private with the 50th Infantry Battalion, part of the 13th Brigade, 4th Australian Division. Private Mack received his training at Mitcham Camp. On 6 November 1916 he embarked aboard the ship Afric bound for the United Kingdom and arrived in Plymouth, Devon, on 9 January 1917. There he was posted to the 13th Training Battalion at Codford, Wiltshire.
During his training Mack caught a cold. He struggled with his health and was hospitalised twice. He nevertheless rejoined his unit and on 9 May 1917 embarked for France.
In early June 1917, Miller Mack and the 50th Infantry Battalion took part in the Battle of Messines. In early July the battalion was stationed near De Seule Camp. Although Private Mack had been suffering from respiratory problems for some time, his condition worsened there. He experienced chest pains and developed a severe, persistent cough. He was evacuated to England. Initially he was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, but tuberculosis was later confirmed.
At the end of September 1917 he was evacuated to Australia, arriving there in late November 1917. He was hospitalised at Torrens Park and later at Nunyara Sanatorium in Belair. In May 1918 he was discharged from the army as medically unfit. He returned to Point McLeay in November of that year, but remained seriously ill. He was admitted to the Bedford Park Sanatorium for returned soldiers suffering from tuberculosis.
On 3 September 1919, at the age of 25, Miller Mack died in the sanatorium from the effects of tuberculosis. He was initially buried in an unmarked communal grave at West Terrace Cemetery near Adelaide. His grave was later marked by the Office of Australian War Graves. In 2015 Mack’s descendants requested the repatriation of his remains to Raukkan. This took place on 24 March 2017, and Private Mack is today buried at Raukkan Aboriginal Cemetery.
Sources 3
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50th Australian Infantry Battalion (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/67/16). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, MACK M). https://www.naa.gov.au/ Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele: The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), 128-129. Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/134328 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=183253 |
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A Street Near You https://astreetnearyou.org/person/134328/ |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7317009 |