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JC/NF (right aligned)
411769 : Pilot Officer George William Alfred MILLS.
PARENTS : Mr. & Mrs. W.G. Mills of Dannevirke.

George Mills was born at Ruaroa on the 11th August, 1915 and was educated at the Ruaroa School. He played football and cricket whilst at school, and was later keenly interested in aeroplanes and gliders. He was a member of the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club, holding his "A" pilots license. On leaving school he was employed on his father's farm at Umutaoroa for a time, after which he spent two years on aircraft and glider work with M.A. Aitkinson of Dannevirke. At the time of his application for enlistment he was engaged on general contracting work on his own account.

P/O Mills applied for a short service commission in the Air Force in September, 1939, but his application was unsuccessful. He applied for aircrew training in February, 1940, but did not enter camp until March, 1941, when he reported to the Ground Training School, Levin, to commence training as an air gunner. Late in April of that year he embarked for Canada to commence his training under the Empire Air Training Scheme. In Canada he trained at No. 3 Wireless School, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and No. 6 Bombing and Gunnery School, Mountain View, Ontario, where he was awarded his Wireless Operator Air Gunner's badge and commissioned in the rank of Pilot Officer on the 24th November, 1941.

On the 13th December, P/O Mills embarked for the United Kingdom, arriving at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth late the same month. He commenced operational training as a bomb aimer on Wellington aircraft at No. 11 Operational Training Unit, Bassingbourn, Hertfordshire, in the middle of May, 1942. On the 31st July, as a bomb aimer on a Wellington, he took part in a raid on Dusseldorf in Germany. A fortnight later he proceeded to No. 75 (NZ) Squadron, Mildenhall, Suffolk. From this base he took part in further raids on targets in Germany, including Bremen and Emden.

P/O Mills was the bomb aimer on a Wellington aircraft which took off on an operational flight at Duisberg on the 7th September, 1942, and which