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Remember...Darius Willard Mills
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Darius Willard Mills
Darius Willard Mills was born December 29, 1917, to Edgar Lee Mills and Anna Florence Mills in Mill Creek, West Virginia. The 1930 Federal Census taker recorded the family's information in Middle Fork. Mr. Mills was a miner. In addition to their children, Edgar and Anna were joined by Mr. Mills' parents, Pete and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Mills in passed away in 1933. Both Peter and Edgar Mills, father and son, passed away in 1936. Peter Mills' cause of death was not recorded. Edgar Mills died of complications due to influenza.
In 1940, Mrs. Mills was the head of the household. The family included children Beulah, Eva Grace, Denver Charles, Hertzel (also sometimes spelled Hurtzel), Dale Beatrice, Edgar Harold, Wanita (also sometimes spelled Juanita), Bayard Lee, Everett, and Darius. Their middle names are included here because some of the children became known by their middle names.
In 1940, Charles, then known by his middle name, Denver, and Darius were still living at home and working as coal loaders. Hertzel was working in road construction.
Darius Mills registered for military service on October 16, 1940, in Huttonsville. His military records indicate that he was working for the Three Fork Coal Company in Cassity, Randolph County. He enlisted in the U. S. Navy in Charleston, West Virginia, on September 12, 1942. He was received on board the USS Maddox on its commissioning date, October 31, 1942, from New York, New York.
Darius Mills' service in the Navy is chronicled through the muster rolls of the USS Maddox. He was first listed therein on October 31, 1942, as a seaman second class. He was on board in January 1943; during the quarter ending March 31, 1943; and during the quarter ending June 30, 1943, as a seaman first class.
According to the website of the Destroyer History Foundation,
After shakedown, Maddox departed New York 2 January 1943 for Norfolk, where she commenced escort duties. Following her first two convoy missions, safeguarding fleet oilers plying between Norfolk and the petroleum centers of Galveston and Aruba, Maddox began a series of transatlantic voyages escorting convoys from New York and Norfolk to north Africa.On 8 June 1943, Maddox departed Norfolk for Oran, Algeria, where she became a unit of TF 81, the assault force for the Sicilian invasion. As the assault troops landed 10 July, Maddox was on antisubmarine patrol about 16 miles offshore. Steaming alone, the destroyer was attacked by a German dive bomber. One of the bombs exploded Maddox's after magazine, causing the ship to roll over and sink within two minutes.
Maddox was struck from the Navy list 19 August 1943. She earned two service stars during World War II. ("USS Maddox [DD 622]," accessed 15 February 2021, https://destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass/ussmaddox/.)
The ship set sail for Europe and was offshore of Gela, Sicily, on July 10, 1943 when the attack occurred. According to the muster rolls, Darius Mills and another West Virginia sailor, Hobert McGee, were on board. According to the last muster roll entries for them both, their status was "Missing – As result of action against the enemy."
As is the custom, S1c Darius Mills was listed as missing for a year and a day and then declared dead on July 11, 1944. His body was not recovered. According to the USS Maddox Destroyer Association, 210 men were lost. According to Destroyer History Foundation, USS Maddox Commander Sarsfield was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for the heroism he displayed in the aftermath of the attack while supervising the "abandon ship." The lives of 74 were saved, but Commander Sarsfield lost his own.
| Darius Mills' name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery Nettuno, Italy. He was awarded the Purple Heart. |  Court of the Tablets of the Missing, Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. Courtesy American Battle Monuments Commission |
Harold Edgar Mills
Harold Edgar Mills was born on June 9, 1923, to Edgar Lee Mills and Anna Florence Mills in Mill Creek, West Virginia. The 1930 Federal Census taker recorded the family's information in Middle Fork. Mr. Mills was a miner. In addition to their children, the Mills family was joined by Mr. Mills' parents, Pete and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Mills passed away in 1933. Both Peter and Edgar Mills, father and son, passed away in 1936. Peter Mills' cause of death was not recorded. Edgar Mills died of complications due to influenza.
In 1940, Mrs. Mills was the head of the household. The family included children Beulah, Eva Grace, Denver Charles, Hertzel (also sometimes spelled Hurtzel), Dale Beatrice, Edgar Harold, Wanita (also sometimes spelled Juanita), Bayard Lee, Everett, and Darius. Their middle names are included here because some of the children became known by their middle names.
In 1940, Charles, then known by his middle name, Denver, and Darius were still living at home and working as coal loaders. Hertzel was working in road construction.
On June 30, 1942, Harold registered for military service. He was living in Baltimore at the time, working for Bethlehem Fairfield Shipbuilding Company.
On January 26, 1943, Harold Mills enlisted in the U.S. Army. According to U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, he was single, had no dependents, and had a grammar school education. His occupation category was "unskilled occupations in building transportation equipment (except automobiles and aircraft)." He entered active duty on February 2, 1943, at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, and he left the U.S. for duty overseas on August 17, 1944.
In the Army, he was placed with the 254th Field Artillery Battalion and his position and rank was technician fifth class. Technicians possessed specialized skills, but research did not reveal Harold Mills' specific duties in his position. Photos of the Battalion in December 1944 show troops preparing their positions in the company of towed 155 mm guns. ("With the Artillerymen of the 82nd Airborne Division ‘All American' in December 1944," Battle of the Bulge Memories, accessed 5 March 2021, http://www.battleofthebulgememories.be/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=74:with-the-artillerymen-of-the-82nd-airborne-division-qall-americanq-in-december-1944&catid=1:battle-of-the-bulge-us-army&Itemid=6&lang=fr.)
In December 1944, the 254th Field Artillery Battalion was in Germany preparing for the Battle of the Ardennes, which became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The battle was officially fought between December 16, 1944 and January 25, 1945.
Harold Mills did not join his unit in the Battle of the Ardennes. He was killed in action on December 12, 1944, in circumstances that are not explained in accessible articles and reports.
| Harold Mills is buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands. He was awarded the Purple Heart. |  Cross denoting the grave of Harold E Mills in Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten. Courtesy American Battle Monuments Commission |
Harold was not the only son of the Mills family who served in World War II, and not the only one who didn't come home. His brother Darius died in the sinking of the USS Maddox off the coast of Italy in July 1943.
Article prepared by Cynthia Mullens
March 2021
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West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
