Peter Mills (RAF officer)

The Reverend (Air Vice-Marshal) Peter Watson Mills, CB (born 1955) is a British minister of the Church of Scotland and a retired senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Chaplain-in-Chief of the RAF and head of its Chaplains Branch from 2006 to 2009.

Early life

Mills was born in 1955.[1] He was educated at Arbroath High School, a grammar school in Arbroath, Scotland.[1]

Career

In 1974, Mills joined Aberdeen City Police, which became Grampian Police a year later, as a police constable. He served for 4 years.[1]

In 1978, he began the steps to become a religious minister by starting a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree at the University of Aberdeen.[1] He graduated in 1982.[2] In 1983, he studied for a Certificate in Pastoral Studies (CPS).[2] He then served for a year as an assistant minister in Montrose, Angus.[1]

Military career

Mills was commissioned into the Chaplains Branch, Royal Air Force, on 13 May 1984. He was granted the relative rank of flight lieutenant; RAF chaplains hold only relative ranks as they do not hold executive authority.[3] On 13 May 1985, he was promoted to the relative rank of squadron leader.[4][5] On the 2 September 1987, he transferred from a short service commission to a regular commission.[6] In 1989, he undertook a four-month posting to the Falkland Islands as Force Chaplain.[1] He was promoted to the relative rank of wing commander on 13 May 1998.[7] In 2001, he was appointed Principal Chaplain (Church of Scotland and Free Churches),[1] and promoted to the relative rank of group captain on 31 May of that year.[8] On 27 March 2006, he was promoted to the relative rank of air vice-marshal,[9] and became the 20th Chaplain-in-Chief of the RAF.[1]

Honours and decorations

On 31 May 2001, Mills was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC).[8] In July 2009, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree by the University of Aberdeen.[1] In the 2010 New Year Honours, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[10][11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Leaders in business, arts and music among those being honoured by University". University of Aberdeen. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Peter Mills". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49820. p. 10431. 30 July 1984. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50165. p. 8348. 17 June 1985. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50212. p. 10468. 29 July 1985. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51115. p. 13843. 9 November 1987. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55168. p. 6570. 15 June 1998. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  8. 1 2 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56249. pp. 7225–7226. 19 June 2001. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57939. p. 4356. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59282. p. 2. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 02 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "Scant crop of gongs for top brass Jan 2010". Defence Viewpoints. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
Military offices
Preceded by
Ron Hesketh		 Chaplain-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force
2006 – 2009 		Succeeded by
Ray Pentland
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