The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. J P Mills

Jack Percival Mills was born on 28th December 1918 and attended King Edwards School, Witley in Surrey where he was an all round sportsman. He later worked for F Stephens & Son in Oxford and became a member of a flying club.

Mills joined the RAFVR in November 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot. Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training and after converting to Hurricanes at 6 OTU Sutton Bridge from 26th May 1940 he joined 43 Squadron at Tangmere on 9th June.

Above: Sgt. GA Stroud, Sgt. GCC Palliser, Mills, Sgt. HJ Davidson.

Mills shared in the destruction of a Me110 on 9th July, he destroyed a Me109 on 13th August, destroyed a Ju87 on the 18th and destroyed a Me109 and damaged another on 6th September.

He was posted to 249 Squadron at North Weald on the 13th and shared a Ju88 on the 27th.

Commissioned in April 1941, Mills went with the squadron to Malta in May. It flew off Ark Royal on the 21st, in two groups. On 5th August Mills joined the Malta Night Fighter Unit, then being formed at Ta Kali. On 2nd December the unit became 1435 (Night Fighter) Flight.

Mills was awarded the DFC (gazetted 7th April 1944) as a Flight Lieutenant with 73 Squadron.

He was released from the RAF on 30th August 1947 as a Squadron Leader.

He worked for Morris Motors and then ran a petrol station at Kennington, Oxford, which he had built himself.

In 1963 he went to live in Australia.

He died on 24th January 2001.