Michael James Miles (SN 96) born at Serviceton, was a 23 year old labourer when he enlisted in Ballarat on April 9th 1915. He embarked aboard the Ulysses on May 10th and in August he joined the 22nd Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli. In the final days of that campaign, he was evacuated to hospital suffering from pyrexia. He was able to move on to France in March 1916 but in July he was evacuated to England suffering from malaria. He was destined to spend most of 1917 in England due to venereal disease. He eventually rejoined his unit in France in January 1918. At the war’s end he returned to Australia aboard the Wandilla, disembarked at Melbourne on May 18th 1919 and was discharged ‘medically unfit, debility and pleurisy’ on July 29th.

His brother Dennis also served in the AIF and is honoured with a tree in the Avenue.