Flt Sub Lt J.S.Mills RNAS

[Adam Harland]

I am trying to trace the career of Fl Sub Lt J.S.Mills DSC RNAS. I have the details of his destruction of the Zeppelin at Evreux on the night Warneford won the VC, but after that his activity seems to have disappeared. Any pointers would be appreciated.

His son ( my godfather, himself a Fleet Air Arm Sqdn Leader) believes that he served sometime with Samson at gallipoli, although I can find no record of this. There is one record of him damaging serial 1121 on 19/6/16 at Chingford (?), otherwise he appears to have disappeared from the war.

[MikeW]

If you are happy with the details of the St. Evere escapade with FLt J Wilson when, flying Farmans, they bombed the hangar which luckily had LZ38 inside, there are a number of avenues of research open to you.

All of his postings should be on his rnas record which can be accessed at the National Archive in the ADM273 file or on microfilm at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. A weekly published document know as the RNAS Disposition List (again at the National Archive) will tell you exactly where he was serving at any given week:-

I can tell you that he was an instructor at Chingford in the week beginning 20th November 1916 and he was still there on the week commencing 20th July 1917. Not much but a start!

Mike

[Adam Harland]

Mike,

thanks for that. It looks as if it will be a while at Kew with the disposition list.

Regards

Adam

[michaeldr]

Adam,

See 'Royal Naval Air Service 1912-1918' by Brad King pages 70 & 75:

the first has ref to the raid on Evere and the second a photograph of Mills

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Guest]

Adam,

See 'Royal Naval Air Service 1912-1918' by Brad King pages 70 & 75:

the first has ref to the raid on Evere and the second a photograph of Mills

Regards

Michael D.R.

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Hi Adam

Just to add some more to the story.

He trained at the Grahame White School at Hendon in Dec1914 & jan1915 receiving his R Aero Certificate No 1049 on the 26th January

He was with No 1 Wing in Jun1915 and No 3 Wing in Dec1915 with a single "sighting" of him at Imbros sometime in 1915 with no other info for this period.

As above he was at Chingford, the only additional info I have was that he was sick from 8th August to some date in September 1916. You havn't mentioned his other awards so I would point out his award of Chevalier of the Order of Tthe Crown (France) gazetted 29th August 1917 and a Mention in Despatches gazetted on 3rd June 1919

He was mentioned in many publications etc listed below. THis list is not necessarily exhaustive.

Air Defence of Great Britain: G.Cole & E.F.Cheeseman: Putnam page 61

The Aeroplane magazine: 02 Dec, 16 Dec,23 Dec, 30Dec 1914: 24Feb, 19May,

09 Jun, 30Jun,07Jul29 Dec1915

A Short History of the Royal Air Force. Air Pub 125 (Revised 1936) HMSO pages 73,81-2

Cross & Cockade magazine Vol 34 No 1 pages9,18 Vol 34 No 2 page 129(photo)

The Fleet Air Arm:A pictorial history: R Longstaff: Robert Hale Ltd page66

Flight magazine 04 Dec,18Dec,25Dec 1914, 14Dec1916,04Jan06Sep1917,

03Jan1918.

Flying magazine 05Sep1917

Fire Over England: H.G.Castle: Secker & Warburg pages 71,73,75

Log Books; he is known to have been mentioned in the following. No of mentions ( )

Ruthven,J.E.(2): Hitch,H.L.(1): Gaskell,H.L.(1): Harrison,B.E.(1): Hill,A.B.(2).

The Story of a North Sea Air Station: C.F.Snowden Gamble: Oxford Univ Press Page 130.

Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and units 1911-1919: R Sturtevant & G.Page: Air Britain 1992 page 62

Warneford VC: Mary Gibson: pages 83-4,101

The Navy's Whos Who 1917: J,.B.Hatward & Sons: page 255

The War in the Air Vol2 page 351

Into Wind; details escape me for the present pages 20, 48

The Chingflier magazine No 17 Vol 1 of 7th Jul 1917: No 18 Vol 1 of 21st Jul1917:

No 21 Vol 2 of Oct1917

Spink Medal Circular No 6 of March 1997 pages 19,20.

Hope this helps you

Regards Duncan

[Adam Harland]

Duncan, Micheal

Thanks, that is fantastic. I shall set about looking up the references

Adam

[MikeW]

Adam,

if you want references then I have one that Duncan can't match, "Fringes Of the Fleet and the Distinguished Service Cross" by RC White, a privately published book, presumably aimed at medal collectors.

Be warned, many of the references will be exactly the same information rehashed about the raid on St. Evare. You will need to visit Yeovilton to check out reference such as the Chingflier, its the only place I know that has copies.

Duncan,

Feel free to add the above reference to the FAAM file

Is there nothing about the Aegean on his microfilmed index card? 3 Wing was disbanded in January 1916, so Mills would have had a very brief stay in the Aegean if he joined 3 Wing in December 1915.

Mike

[Guest]

Adam,

if you want references then I have one that Duncan can't match, "Fringes Of the Fleet and the Distinguished Service Cross" by RC White, a privately published book, presumably aimed at medal collectors.

Be warned, many of the references will be exactly the same information rehashed about the raid on St. Evare. You will need to visit Yeovilton to check out reference such as the Chingflier, its the only place I know that has copies.

Duncan,

Feel free to add the above reference to the FAAM file

Is there nothing about the Aegean on his microfilmed index card? 3 Wing was disbanded in January 1916, so Mills would have had a very brief stay in the Aegean if he joined 3 Wing in December 1915.

Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Mike and Adam,

Mike thanks for your new reference, do you happen to have the page number.

I will have a look at his record card in the morning

Adam I can confirm that all these references I gave exist at The Fleet Air Arm Museum. They have all been extracted and exist in the J.S.Mills file.

Regards to you both Duncan

[Adam Harland]

Thanks for the above. I have checked with the family and the Aegean episode is somewhat intriguing. It is the family story that he in some way blotted his copybook whilst serving there and that was pretty much the end of his fighting career ( which no doubt the future generations have much to be grateful for). He obviously continued to fly, so it would not appear to have been physical disability, but after such a dramatic start to his career, it all seems to have gone rather quiet.

Adam

[MikeW]

Adam & Duncan,

the page from Fringes Of the Fleet (Not the Kipling version!) is 135. The book was available from Dix-Noonan-Web.

Mike

[Guest]

Adam & Duncan,

the page from Fringes Of the Fleet (Not the Kipling version!) is 135. The book was available from Dix-Noonan-Web.

Mike

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Adam & Mike

I have looked at his Record Card. In the appointments section it merely states Dardanelles with no date. There are no previous entries.The next entry states 23-2-16 Chingford. In the notes section it seems that he was involved in a flying accident at St Valerie en Caux. Admitted to Franco American Hospital at St Valerie with a head wound, not serious.(No date)[that's what it says but it must have been more serious than they thought as the bit below will demonstrate]

He reported to Chingford13th August 1916 unfit for duty. Found unfit on survey13th July 1917. Resurvey 13th July 1917 found fit for ground duty or for flying at not more than 4000 feet. Completed course re-qualifying in seaplane flying12th December 1917. I think that explaines the gap in his flying. The "cloud" probably was his being found to blame for sending out a totally inexperienced pilot on patrol at the enquiry into the death of AM Scarles F13151 (crew of N1636 with FSL S.G.Smith on 10th December 1917. This did not however prevent his promotion to Squadron Leader 0n 1st January 1918.

On a lighter note his Air Force Card states that he was Brewery Manager at Richmond Brewery, Peterham Road, Richmond 1912 - 1914

Hope this helps Adam

Thanks for the extra info Mike