BORN WILLENHALL, STAFFORDSHIRE. 1883. SON OF EDWARD MITCHELL (1857-1898) & MARY ‘POLLY’ TURTON (1863-1929), OF 61 WALLSALL STREET, WOLVERHAMPTON. ELDEST OF THREE SONS. A FORMER BRASS FITTER.
HE ENLISTED AS A CAREER SOLDIER, WITH THE SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT, AT WOLVERHAMPTON, ON 08/09/1903. HIS ARMY RECORDS DESCRIBE HIM, AS 5 FOOT 4.5 INCHES TALL, 125 LBS WEIGHT, 36 INCH CHEST, BLUE EYES, BROWN HAIR. “HONEST, INTELLIGENT, HARDWORKING, RELIABLE AND SOBER”. HE MARRIED EMILY R BATE, AT WOLVERHAMPTON, ON 27/03/1911. SERVED IN INDIA AND SOUTH AFRICA, AS A LANCE SERGEANT IN THE 2ND BATTALION BEFORE THE WAR. THEY LIVED WITH THEIR TWO CHILDREN, AT 3 JARRETT PLACE, RAYWELL STREET, HULL. (CWGC ADDRESS).
HE WAS POSTED TO FRANCE, ON 12/08/1914, WITH THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE. RETURNED TO ENGLAND 12 DAYS LATER. REMAINED IN ENGLAND THROUGHOUT THE WAR. HE BECAME TIME EXPIRED IN THE ARMY ON 07/03/1916. HE RE-ENLISTED FOR THE DURATION OF THE WAR, AS SERGEANT, 185110, DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY. TRANSFERRED AS COMPANY QUARTERMASTER SERGEANT MAJOR, 55175, OF THE 25TH LABOUR CORPS. HE RETURNED TO FRANCE, ON 08/06/1919. DIED DURING GAS CLEARING OPERATIONS, ON 27/09/1919, AGED 36. HE HAD SERVED IN THE ARMY FOR 16 YEARS AND 20 DAYS. HE IS BURIED IN GERMANY AT COLOGNE SOUTHERN CEMETERY.
