11 September 1940.

Back in Australia, Bill Millington’s family opened the 11 September 1940 edition of The Advertiser which had published a letter Bill had sent to them shortly after his first action: 

 

‘Something of the spirit of the RAF is shown in the letter Pilot-Officer Millington wrote to his parents before he had begun to establish his amazing record. It was written on July 8 from Australia House. “Things have improved a great deal recently as we are now fighting over our own territory or close to it,” he wrote. This is a welcome change. In the last few days Jerry has been getting quite cheeky and sending aircraft over to our side of the Ditch. Slapping his ears back gives us the greatest of pleasure. It has now reached the stage when black crosses and swastikas make us see red and we welcome the opportunity to line a Hun plane up in the sight. Today the boys are absolutely fighting mad. Last night a Messerschmitt 109 shot down our squadron leader. Apart from being an ace pilot, he was a personal friend of each of the pilots and just one of the boys.”’

[This was Squadron Leader John Davies Clement Joslin, RAF 34158. He was found to have crashed at Chilberton Elms, Between Folkeston and Dover.]

The Advertiser then reported that ‘There is an interruption then in the letter, and it was continued at 5.30 pm just as though nothing had happened. “Called out just now, shortly after 3 pm—to be exact—to engage enemy aircraft near Dover. Results are still vague, but numbers of the enemy have been brought down in the sea and on land. Two of our aircraft are missing. One of the pilots landed in the ‘ditch’ by parachute and has been picked up. Unfortunately he was flying my machine, which is now in a watery grave. [This was Pilot Officer J.E.W. Wood] As I was supposed to be off for a few hours he took my plane. I happened to be close by, writing letters actually, dashed out, and took off in a spare which arrived a few days ago. Jerry is suffering colossal losses. We can’t expect to get away scot free, but when comrades go the will to win gets stronger, and we will go down fighting.”’

In the Scouting news of the same edition of The Advertiser, Scouter noted that, Bill a member of the Forestville Rover Crew, had had a share of excitement in England serving with the RAF.’ Scouter wrote that ‘all who knew him feel proud of his wonderful efforts, but regretted to learn that he is in hospital. We trust that he will soon be well again and back to his old form’.

 

And indeed he was. On the same day, Bill rejoined 79 Squadron at Pembrey, South Wales and he was in for a much quieter time that recorded in that letter of 8 July. The squadron carried out various patrols over the next few days, but no action. Bill is not mentioned in the Squadron’s Operations Record Book again.