Remembering today: Casualty Details | CWGC GUARDSMAN ROBERT MILLER Service Number: 2701371 Regiment & Unit: Scots Guards, 2nd Bn. Date of Death: Died 28 December 1943 Buried or commemorated at MINTURNO WAR CEMETERY Grave Reference: III, A, 25. Location: Italy Additional Info: Son of Alexander and Agnes Miller, of Dalkeith, Midlothian. Personal Inscription: SOME TIME WE'LL UNDERSTAND Remembered with honour.
From The Scots Guards 1919-1955, David Erskine, page 189: ITALY 1943, SECOND BATTALION ( E ) Across the Garigliano [27 December] The chief duty of the Battalion was to maintain a twenty-four-hour standing patrol at Puntafiume, near the mouth of the river, and just before might night one night this was attacked by a stronger German patrol and forced to withdraw to G Company positions. Lieutenants Sir David Moncrieffe and J.V. Rowe, the latter out under instruction, were wounded, and a Gunner officer and five other ranks were missing. A platoon counter-attack was put in about two hours later but failed to dislodge the Germans, and lost Lieutenant I.McC. Tait and two other ranks killed and three other ranks prisoners. This was the basis of a Reuter report which caused some amusement in the Battalion a few days later. "British troops of the Fifth Army are fighting strongly to throw back a powerful German counter-attack launched at the mouth of the Garigliano river. Thrusts were directed agains positions at Puntafiume on the south bank. Fighting is going on in the town." The "town" consisted of four houses! Using Geoff's search engine, three men have been identified as 2SG, DOD the same as the officer mentioned and buried at Minturno 001 MCGHEE JT 2699138 2ND BN 28/12/1943 SCOTS GUARDS 002 MILLER R 2701371 2ND BN 28/12/1943 SCOTS GUARDS 003 TAIT IM 176765 2ND BN 28/12/1943 SCOTS GUARDS (The roll of honour in the History's appendix A gives Guardsman Miller's date of death as 20/12/1943, but this is more than likely a typo.)