In 1901, the MacMillan family were living at 85 Canal Street, Perth: Mother, Grace, b. c1865, Perth; Daughter, Joan, b. c1894, Edinburgh; and Son, John, b. c1896, Edinburgh.

Third Battle of Ypres - Passchendaele

“On the 31st July 1917, behind the newly mastered creeping barrage, the allied troops climbed out of their trenches along the whole front line, from Boesinghe in the North to Le Gheer in the South, and advanced towards the German forces. The enemy’s first line was quickly taken and the British pushed forward about one mile before meeting much stiffer resistance. Later in the afternoon the advance was stopped and pushed back in places by carefully co-ordinated counter attack by specially trained troops. However a worse enemy was afoot, the worst weather for 75 years, which turned the whole battlefield into a quagmire, the whole attack was stalled until the 10th August.”

“It is estimated that Third Ypres cost the Allies about 300,000 casualties (35 men for every metre gained - many of them were lost to the mud of Flanders and have no known grave, only to be commemorated on the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot Memorials to the missing) and the Germans a further 260,000 casualties.”

Extract from the War Diaries of the Guards Division

“At zero hour 3.50 am (31st July 1917), on the left of the Rouler railway the Guards Division attacked with two Brigades, the 2nd Guards Brigade (1st Scots Guards and 2nd Irish Guards) met little resistance in meeting their objective. The 3rd Guards Brigade (1st Grenadier Guards and 1st Welsh Guards) also made their objective with little resistance. The second objective was taken up by supporting Battalions of the 2nd and 3rd Guards Brigades, the latter coming under murderous machine gun fire from blockhouses on the Roulet railway, this threatened to hold up the whole attack." 

“The 3rd Guards managed to clear the blockhouses and join up with the 113th and 114th Brigades further south."

“Sergeant R J Bye of the 1st Grenadier Guards (who captured 2 pillboxes and accounted for 70 of the enemy) and Private T Whitham of the 1st Coldstream Guards (who took a machine gun nest and killed its 3 occupants) won the highest honour for courage and bravery, the V.C. for their part in the action.”

John MacMillan would have lost his life at some time during this action on the 31st July 1917. He was 21 years old.

John MacMillan is also commemorated on the Perth North Church War Memorial.