Australia's Few. 7 October 1940

7 October was a busy day for Bill Millington, where he flew four operational sorties with little rest in between. The first, in Hurricane V7677, was a bright-and-early 6.30 a.m. 95 minute two-man patrol of the east coast with Sergeant Davidson. The second, this time in Hurricane V6692, was a shorter mid-morning 40 minute squadron patrol of Rochford. The third, again to Rochford, and again in V6692 was a 45 minute post-lunch sortie. These three patrols were all uneventful.

65 minutes after he landed from the second Rochford patrol, Bill and the squadron were again in the air. This time, they, along with 46 Squadron, were tasked with patrolling Maidstone. They were north of Ashford, Kent when 20–30 Messerschmitt 109s in a loose formation were seen. A squadron of Spitfires was also in the vicinity and had engaged with the enemy fighters. At about 4.15, 46 and 249 squadrons joined in the dogfight at about 21,000 feet. The formations started to break up and Bill, who was Green One, targeted one of the 109s: 

‘I chased a Me 109 which dived steeply down. I left him to a Spitfire and climbed back to about 22,000 feet into the sun and dived down on a Me 109 which broke off his attack and turned steeply in front of me, offering a plain view of his underside at point blank range. I gave him a short burst and he turned on his back and dived steeply down, emitting black smoke.’

Bill did not see his target crash as he was ‘tackled by two Spitfires so broke off the engagement’. The battle then broke up, due, in Bill’s opinion, ‘to the Spitfires mistaking Hurricanes for Me 109s and attacking them’ but by that stage, ‘approximately 20 [Me 109s] were above at 26–30,000 feet in loose formation roughly heading for the French coast.’

By this stage of his career, Bill had well and truly honed his fighter pilot skills. He had climbed to take advantage of height and sun, then dived and fired at point blank range. He may not have seen the final fate of his target but the black smoke was a clear sign that it was out of the battle.

Bill was credited with a probably destroyed Me 109.