Pte
Royal Ernest Henry Mitchell
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 26/06/1895 |
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Place of birth: Hopetoun, Victoria, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: Hopetoun, Victoria, Australia |
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Profession: Labourer |
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Religion: Baptist |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 6068 |
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Enlistment date: 20/04/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Ararat, Victoria, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 39th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Beecham Dugout, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XXXV Row: B Grave: 11 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Royal Ernest Henry Mitchell was the son of Ernest Henry Francis and Rosetta Mitchell. He was born on 26 June 1895 in Hopetoun, Victoria, Australia, and worked as a labourer. On 28 April 1916, aged 21, he enlisted in the Australian Army at Ararat, Victoria. He was attached to the 39th Battalion (10th Brigade, 3rd Australian Division).
Royal was killed in action on 4 October 1917 at the Battle of Broodseinde, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 39th Battalion's starting line that day was near the Langemarkstraat in Zonnebeke (from 28.D.21.a.3.10 to 28.D.21.a.7.0). The battalion managed to advance as far as the area of the present Tyne Cot Cemetery (between 28.D.16.b.0.8 and 28.D.16.b.3.10 and 28.D.17.c.3.9). Among other places near Abraham Heights (28.D.15.b.7.6) and Beecham Dugout (28.D.16.a.6.2), the battalion was shelled by German machine guns.
It was in this area that 21 year old Royal Ernest Henry Mitchell was killed. His remains were found in Ship Street at Passchendaele (28.D.16.a.50.40) near Beecham Dugout. He was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery on 30 June 1920. His grave is the eleventh headstone in plot XXXV, row B. Royal's younger brother, Robert Daniel Mitchell, fell a day earlier near Anzac (28.J.3.a.2.3) and is now buried at Perth Cemetery (China Wall).
Royal was killed in action on 4 October 1917 at the Battle of Broodseinde, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 39th Battalion's starting line that day was near the Langemarkstraat in Zonnebeke (from 28.D.21.a.3.10 to 28.D.21.a.7.0). The battalion managed to advance as far as the area of the present Tyne Cot Cemetery (between 28.D.16.b.0.8 and 28.D.16.b.3.10 and 28.D.17.c.3.9). Among other places near Abraham Heights (28.D.15.b.7.6) and Beecham Dugout (28.D.16.a.6.2), the battalion was shelled by German machine guns.
It was in this area that 21 year old Royal Ernest Henry Mitchell was killed. His remains were found in Ship Street at Passchendaele (28.D.16.a.50.40) near Beecham Dugout. He was reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery on 30 June 1920. His grave is the eleventh headstone in plot XXXV, row B. Royal's younger brother, Robert Daniel Mitchell, fell a day earlier near Anzac (28.J.3.a.2.3) and is now buried at Perth Cemetery (China Wall).
Connection to other soldiers 1
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Robert Daniel Mitchell
Brother |
Sources 6
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10th Infantry Brigade (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/10/12). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1347573 Sources used |
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39th Infantry Battalion (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/56/18). https://www.awm.gov.au Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455). https://www.naa.gov.au/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chis. "Passchendaele, The Day-by-Day Account" (Arms&ArmourPress: London, 1995), 98-99, 110. Sources used |
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Personal Pars. (Hopetoun Courier and Mallee Pioneer, 16.11.1917), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article120999519 Sources used |
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Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM8). https://www.naa.gov.au/ Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/463980 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=210783 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=9f2fd08b-f02e-43b2-9eeb-37757b1097cb |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7515834 |