A personal tragedy unfolded in Zimbabwe this week with the death of photographer Richard Mills. The Times of London photographer was working undercover in Harare when he was found dead on July 14 in his hotel room. Authorities said there was no evidence of foul play. Hundreds attended a funeral service at Roselawn Cemetery in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on July 29.
After leaving Britain's Royal Air Force in 2000, Mills had an impressive career as a photographer, covering Zimbabwe, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, among other dangerous assignments. The Times' obituary described Mills as a brave and compassionate photographer. Editor James Harding praised him for his "unerring eye and a rare combination of courage and compassion." The Times reported that an autopsy found Mills' death to be a suicide.
Mills was supposed to go home to Belfast on July 15, his 69-year-old father, also named Richard Mills, told journalists. "Richard was always upbeat and positive," he said. "His mother and I worried about him. I asked him if his work had a profound effect on him and he said: 'You get used to it.' He tried to protect us to a certain extent. He did a piece on the most dangerous road in the world, between Kuwait and Baghdad, for example, and we only saw it after it happened."
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Ritchie rang me from Zimbabwie in July full of excitement about a book he was producing, he spoke of our time together at RAF Bruggen and that he was missing Finn and Zoe and just wanted to be home with them; we also chatted about his sister Tara (he was so proud of her) and his Father Richard and his amateur dramatics, he was upbeat but sounded lonely there was no indication in his voice to suggest what happened. I remember Ritchie attempting to teach me maths (simulations equations) when we served together in Germany, his patients with my slow understanding of the subject was wonderful and his light-hearted manner made the learning process so much fun, we joked about it when we last spoke. Ritchie Mills was a very special person and will be deeply missed by all who served and worked with him. God Bless you Ritchie. Per Ardua Ad Astra.
so very sad, he did his very best, he did see the world as it is today, not his fault
Ritchie was as naturally gifted a photographer, as there is any likely to be. My encounters were with him in the RAF. The only time I won any RAF photo comps was when he left the Air Force! I met him when he was the Senior Photographer for the Red Arrows; he totally changed the way they were photographically represented by the RAF and to a much higher standard, showing leadership and a more dynamic style. The last time I talked to Ritchie was in December 2003 and he had just done a talk for the new photographers graduating from the excellent Defence School of Photography based near Wolverhampton. I am sure he inspired those young lads and lasses as much as he did his colleagues and 'superiors'.
I can say whole-heartedly, as an ex-colleague, that the photographic world has lost a true great. I raise a glass of Guiness to you Ritchie.