272

-2- (centre aligned)

On the 8th January, 1942 he embarked for the Middle East. The journey was made around South Africa and Helwan, Egypt was reached on the 31st March 1942. Warrant Officer Milner was held here until posted on the 29th June, to No. 70 Operational Training Unit, Nairobi, Kenya, to train on Blenheim and Baltimore bomber aircraft. Following a brief attachment early in March 1943 with No. 5 Middle East Training School, Shallufa, Egypt, he was posted to No. 221 Squadron, stationed at Luqa, Malta. With this squadron as a member of the crew of a Wellington bomber he took part in an offensive patrol over the Eastern Mediterranean and an anti-submarine patrol.

Warrant Officer Milner was a member of the crew of a Wellington bomebr which took off from Luqa, Malta on air operations on the 10th April, 1943 to carry out an armed search between Sparlivento and Point Alice on the South Coast of Italy. The aircraft failed to return to its base and all its crew including Warrant Officer Milner were classified as missing. After due time had elapsed his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 10th April, 1943 as the result of air operations.

A post war casualty search has failed to produce any subsequent information and it has therefore been assumed that W/O Milner lost his life at sea without trace.

5/15/316 A.S.2.
139 hours as wireless operator air gunner.

Mrs. A.M. Milner (S) (right aligned)
26 Gladstone Rd., (right aligned)
MOSGIEL. (right aligned)

One other New Zealander was included in the crew of the aircraft, F/S W. Hornung, D.F.M. of Christchurch.