Sir William Mills was an inventor and innovator, with several landmark achievements during his lifetime (1856 to 1932):

• Built the first aluminium foundry in Great Britain

• Designed the first aluminium head golf club type RNG, which was manufactured by the Standard Mills company based in Sunderland

• Invented and developed the MILLS Bomb in 1915, which was the first hand grenade to be time activated after removing safety pin and releasing handle. This grenade was so successful that it was still in use right up to the 1960’s