Herbert Ward Milligan, born on 14th January 1884, was admitted to King Edward’s School in January 1896 as a Foundation Scholar. He lived with his parents, Alice and James, the company secretary of a pen-making business, and his two brothers at 12, Beaufort Road, Edgbaston.
At School, Herbert was very academic, placing first in his class in French in 1900 and forming part of the Chess Team. The 1901 Census reveals that Herbert left KES in 1900 in order to board at Bromsgrove School. In November 1907, Herbert sailed for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on the ship Sumatra, a voyage which then took fifty days. He took up residence in Ceylon for the remaining years before the war.
In 1914, Herbert joined the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps, and in July 1915 was gazetted to the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers as a Second Lieutenant. He took part in the Gallipoli landing on 14th April 1915, and was wounded in the action. During his time recuperating, he married Bertha Grob in Birmingham. Later in 1916, he was promoted to Lieutenant and served in France, where he was wounded three times. Herbert was killed at Noyelle on 21st November 1917. He is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, France. He left his estate of £701 to his widow, Bertha, who at that time was living at 320, Edward Road, Edgbaston.