Mills was among the tough motorsport pioneers in South Africa, racing a series of ‘cutdown’ modified American saloons and then an imported Aston Martin Ulster in the early South African Grand Prix.
Mills was also among the early South African aviation pioneers, owning a Leopard Moth based at Oribi airfield.
He competed in two South African GPs both at East London, in 1936 in his converted Plymouth two-seater 'Pyroil Special',[2] finishing sixth and in 1937 in the Ulster retiring on lap one.
Mills did not finish the 1st Bloemfontein Blue Riband held on the Brandkop Speedway on 2 August 1937, and finished sixth and seventh in the two heats making up Silver Springbok Trophy on the Lord Howe Circuit on 21 August 1937.
Mills died suddenly in Pietermaritzburg in September 1937, aged just 39 years and nine months, from heart failure brought on by influenza and pneumonia.