Dan Miller (HS 1984-89) was killed in the Bali bombing on 12 October 2002. His family has written this obituary, which we include in full.
Nathaniel – Dan - was born in London at the Royal Free Hospital, Islington on 5 November 1970. His infant years were spent mainly in London where he attended the Coram Fields Nursery School and subsequently the newly formed Gatehouse School in Islington, founded by the wife of the incumbent of St. Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield. Already at the age of five he was showing considerable athletic promise and did well at the annual sports days, winning all his races.
In 1976 he moved from Islington with his parents and older sister, Susanna, to Four Elms. Dan attended the local school aged 6 before moving on to Yardley Court Preparatory School. Whilst still at the primary school he joined the choir at St. Paul's Church and learned to sing in some harmony with other young choristers. At prep school he showed further sporting and academic promise. Aged 13, he became a boarder at Tonbridge School where, for his 6th form years, he was awarded an internal scholarship. He continued to show athletic and sporting prowess and was made Captain of Athletics. He attended numerous inter-school athletic fixtures. In the winter and spring terms he played hockey and rugby for the first teams. He did well academically and gained a place at St Johns College Cambridge to read Law.
During his gap year he travelled to Canada, joining a trekking expedition in the Rockies and then to New Zealand, where he helped as a housemaster and with sports coaching at Scotts College in Wellington. This involved fairly intensive sporting activity as well as long trekking expeditions over the mountains towards Auckland, sailing and skiing.
In 1990 he went up to Cambridge. He decided to give up athletics, preferring the sociability of a team, and played tennis, squash and hockey for his college. Dan became captain of the college side in his final year and played hockey for the University. His interests were wide ranging and he was awarded the St John's College art prize in 1991 and enjoyed undergraduate life to the full. After graduating in 1993 he came down to London to attend Bar School at Lincoln's Inn and was awarded the Queen Mother Scholarship (Middle Temple).
Dan became a resident for the year at the Goodenough Trust, London House, halls of residence in Mecklenberg Square WC1. This enabled him to meet a great number of overseas and commonwealth students with whom he formed firm and loyal friendships, in addition to those from university and school days. These have endured even though many friends have returned to their home country or dispersed elsewhere overseas.
Following Bar School, Dan was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in October 1994. He returned to St. John's College, Cambridge, to complete his LLM, which he did with first-class honours, gaining the McMahon Law Scholarship prize and the Prior Scholarship, St. John's College 1995.
Returning to London, he took up pupilage at Barristers, E.W.H. Christie's Chambers, 13 Old Square, Lincoln's Inn, for six months followed by a further pupilage at John Mowbray's Chambers at 12 New Square, Lincoln's Inn. A further stint in Chambers found him dealing with minor criminal cases, where his experiences in magistrates courts provided him with a fund of fascinating and illuminating stories.
Dan, however, had already decided that life at the Bar alone was not for him and that he preferred the work-style of a solicitor-advocate. He was successful in obtaining an appointment with Herbert Smith, which he thoroughly enjoyed and felt at home in. He continued to combine hard work with a busy social and sporting life particularly on the hockey and rugby field. He was invited to play for the Honourable Artillery Company and weekends were often spent training in the Territorial Army unit of the HAC, or representing the HAC in various sporting fixtures.
After three years working in the City, he was invited to go abroad for a two year secondment to assist in the Hong Kong office. Thus began for Dan a period of great interest and satisfaction. He felt thoroughly at one with his colleagues and friends in Hong Kong and when the two-year period expired he was granted a further indefinite extension to continue in the Hong Kong office. He was always keen to organize social and sporting activities and was adept at involving friends and colleagues in arduous pursuits such as cross country hikes in the new territories, weekly "hash' runs, rugby and hockey fixtures, in addition to being a very active member of the Hong Kong football club.
Dan was always ready to help the newly arrived expatriate and welcome them into the busy life of Hong Kong His keen sense of social obligation showed itself in his support for endangered species, particularly Rhinos. He was wont to patrol Herbert Smith offices dressed in his Rhino suit, collecting funds for the Save the Rhino Appeal. In 1996 he completed the London Marathon dressed in the Rhino suit and subsequently the New York Marathon in 1997, again dressed in the, by this time, "odour challenged" Rhino suit.
In October 2000, in Bali, Indonesia, he met Polly Derby, who was to become his wife. They were married two years later on 7th September 2002 at Shamley Green Parish church in Surrey, spending their honeymoon in the Maldives and Sri-Lanka. They had recently returned to Hong Kong before joining the Hong Kong Rugby club tour to Bali in October. They had just arrived at the Sari Club when the bombs exploded.
Dan was killed instantly in the explosion. Polly, his adored wife of some five weeks, was badly injured and sustained 40 per cent burns. She was evacuated to an intensive care unit in Brisbane. Although her injuries are severe, she continues to make good progress, so bravely fighting through the agony of burns and the extreme discomfort arising out of her rehabilitation. She has now returned to this country and will continue to receive treatment at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead for an extended period.
His friends and work colleagues testify to Dan's ability, his warm and generous nature, cheerfulness, wisdom, integrity and sense of fun~ his infectious encouragement to others and the inspiration they felt in his company.
His funeral took place on 23rd December at St. Paul's Church, Four Elms, close to his home at Blackmoor - his favourite place on earth.
Dan is survived by his widow, Polly, his parents, Alan and Felicity, and sister Susanna.