Pte. Verne Butler Millen

193rd Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders)

Circa 1916-1917

A studio portrait photo of Verne Millen taken in either Canada or England.

Verne Millen was born in Harmony, Colchester County, NS, on September 15, 1900. He enlisted as a private in the 193rd Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) on May 9, 1916, in Truro, NS. He was only 16 years old at the time. He became a stretcher bearer and a piper. His service number was 902470. Verne trained in Aldershot, NS with his battalion and went overseas to England with them later that year as part of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade. They left Halifax in October, 1916, on the troop ship SS Olympic, sister ship of the SS Titanic.

Once in England, training continued until the 193rd Battalion was disbanded in 1917, to provide reinforcements for the Canadian battalions fighting at the front. Verne was eventually transferred to the 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) and joined them at the front on September 6, 1918. He served with the 85th Battalion through to the end of the war and was with the battalion when they arrived back in Halifax on the troop ship SS Adriatic, in June, 1919. Verne was discharged from the army shortly after arriving home.

After the war, Verne moved to northern Alberta where he met and married Lila Brown of Saskatchewan. In 1940, Verne, with his wife and two new sons, moved back to Nova Scotia. They settled in Debert where Verne ran a restaurant and a third son was born. Verne was later employed as a staitionary engineer and worked in Gagetown, NB, for awhile in the 1960’s. He eventually retired to Great Village, NS, and passed away in 1974.

Photographer:  Unknown
Ref. Number:  16-1 (1.2)
Image Information:  Scan of original photo
Source:  Walter Millen, Great Village, NS