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[1] to 2009.

Early life

Mills was born in 1955.[2] He was educated at Arbroath High School, a grammar school in Arbroath, Scotland.[2]

Career

In 1974, Mills joined Aberdeen City Police, which became Grampian Police a year later, as a police constable. He served for 4 years.[2]

In 1978, he began the steps to become a religious minister by starting a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree at the University of Aberdeen.[2] He graduated in 1982.[3] In 1983, he studied for a Certificate in Pastoral Studies (CPS).[3] He then served for a year as an assistant minister in Montrose, Angus.[2]

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.[4] On 13 May 1985, he was promoted to the relative rank of squadron leader.[5][6] On 2 September 1987, he transferred from a short service commission to a regular commission.[7] In 1989, he undertook a four-month posting to the Falkland Islands as Force Chaplain.[2] He was promoted to the relative rank of wing commander on 13 May 1998.[8] In 2001, he was appointed Principal Chaplain (Church of Scotland and Free Churches),[2] and promoted to the relative rank of group captain on 31 May of that year.[9] On 27 March 2006, he was promoted to the relative rank of air vice-marshal,[10] and became the 20th Chaplain-in-Chief of the RAF.[2]

Honours and decorations

On 31 May 2001, Mills was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC).[9] In July 2009, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree by the University of Aberdeen.[2] In the 2010 New Year Honours, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ Thanks giving service. The Times (London, England),  Monday,  September 17, 2007; pg. 60; Issue 69119
  2. 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.
  3. 1 2 "Peter Mills". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "No. 49820". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 July 1984. p. 10431.
  5. ↑ "No. 50165". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 1985. p. 8348.
  6. ↑ "No. 50212". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 July 1985. p. 10468.
  7. ↑ "No. 51115". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 November 1987. p. 13843.
  8. ↑ "No. 55168". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1998. p. 6570.
  9. 1 2 "No. 56249". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 June 2001. pp. 7225–7226.
  10. ↑ "No. 57939". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 March 2006. p. 4356.
  11. ↑ "No. 59282". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2009. p. 2.
  12. ↑ "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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