John Richardson Mitchell

Submitted by wollongongcityl... on Wed, 08/10/2014 - 15:44

First Name:

John

Middle Name:

Richardson

Last Name:

Mitchell

Date of Birth:

Monday, April 23, 1894

Mother's Name:

Alice Rebecca Richardson (nee)

Father's Name:

James John Mitchell

Date Enlisted:

Tuesday, August 11, 1914

Rank at Enlistment:

Private

Service:

Infantry

Date of Death:

Monday, October 8, 1917

Place of Death:

Passchendaele, Belgium

Cause of Death:

Killed in action

Details:

John Richardson Mitchell was born on the 23rd of April, 1894, at Adelong, New South Wales. He was the first born of James Mitchell & Alice Rebecca Richardson (nee). In approximately 1899 the family moved to Goulbourn where his father worked as a butcher. The family moved again in 1907 to Old Dapto Road, Wollongong, where John's father worked as a coal miner. The family then bought a shop at 9 Hercules Street. When the war broke out, John was working as a shop assistant.

He had previously joined the Militia Reserve, in the 37th Infantry Unit. He then enlisted in the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) (Tropical Unit) (1st Battalion) (Service #744) on the 11th of August, 1914, & sailed on HMAT Berrima on the 19th of August, 1914, heading for Rabaul in German New Guinea. Private John Mitchell took part in the capture of a wireless station on the 11th of September, 1914. He stayed in New Guinea until he was discharged at Victoria Barracks on the 18th of January, 1915. It is thought that he returned to his previous employment as a shop assistant until he reenlisted on the 15th of August, 1915 (Service #3833).

He sailed on the HMAT Runic on the 20th of January, 1916, from Sydney for Alexandria (arriving on the 20th of January), where he joined the 5th Brigade, 20th Battalion, 1 - 13 Reinforcements (who were resting after the Gallipoli campaign) & was trained in trench warfare. It is assumed that John took part in the Second Battle of Bullecourt (3-4 May) in France, as he was promoted to full Sergeant in May 1917. His battalion then moved on to fight in the battles of Menin Road (20-22 September) and Poelcappelle (9-10 October) in Belgium. On the 8th of October, 1917, Sergeant John Richardson Mitchell was wounded in the chest & arms by enemy shell fire on Zonnebeke Ridge. Sergeant Pugh, who later wrote to Sergeant Mitchell's mother, stayed with him in a shell hole until he succumbed to his wounds & died. As there was heavy fighting in the area at the time, Sergeant Mitchell is thought to have been buried in the field. His body was never recovered. His name is in Part 8 of the Menin Memorial Register & on the wall at the Australian War Memorial.

Sergeant Mitchell's story has been generously shared by his family.