George Murray Miller was born in Glasgow in 1829, the son of John Miller, a merchant who had made his fortune in Jamaica. His mother was Mary Robinson McCook, the daughter of a soldier and resident of Jamaica. The family lived in Muirshiel, Renfrewshire. George entered the army as an ensign in the 79th on 30 Jan 1846. He served in the Crimean war as a captain, present at the battles of Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol. He also fought in the Indian Mutiny, at Lucknow where he was severely wounded, and the capture of Rampore, Kussia, and the operations in Oude, across the Gorga and the Raptie rivers. He was given a brevet of major on 26 April 1859.
He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 19 Oct 1872 and commanded the 79th Cameron Highlanders until August 1878. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1875. After retirement he commanded the 61st Regimental Depot at Ayr for a year and went on half pay. He retired from the army in October 1882 with the rank of major-general. He was married to Mabel Louisa Barnes in 1876 but had no children. In retirement he lived in Devon in 1891, Cheltenham in 1901, and finally Malvern where he died on 11 January 1911. An obituary was published in the Inverness Courier on 31 Jan 1911. A biography can be found on the website of Angus and Rosemary’s Miscellany of Malvern. The photo shows him in the dress uniform of a lieutenant-colonel of the 79th Cameron Highlanders, his rank shown as a crown on his collar. He wears trews as he would be mounted on parade, and has a plaid or scarf across his chest. The medals include the Crimea medal and the Indian Mutiny medal. The long medal is the CB on a crimson ribbon.
