One Of Weirdest Mysteries Of War

Northern Advocate, 22 February 1943, Page 2

One Of Weirdest Mysteries Of War

LONDON. Feb. 20

A United Press correspondent at Natal, Brazil, states that a small rubber life-raft, bearing the body of Major Arthur Mills, of the Army Air Corps Ferry Command, drifted to a beach after a voyage probably exceeding 1000 miles across the South Atlantic.

With the body were identification tags indicating that six others died and were buried from the raft after the plane, travelling from Africa, had been forced down at sea.

There were also a colonel’s eagle insignia bent into crude fish-hook, fish-bones and a notebook, the property of the navigator, in which were drawn prophetic skull and crossbones and a crude sketch of a grave dated January 15, a few days prior to the flight. The notebook did not contain any other entry and the names of Major Mills’ companions were not revealed! Major Mills apparently died foodless and waterless two or three days before the raft was beached. The circumstances constitute one of the weirdest mysteries of the war.