Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Les Mitchell was a 28 year old livestock carrier from Kyogle in 1940 when he signed up to the AIF. After training he joined the 2nd/1st Battalion in Libya on the last day of the battle at Bardia, after a few swigs each of captured Italian coniac, Les took part in the battle of Tobruk against heavily fortified Italian positions. Mitch and the 2nd/1st then headed for Greece. They set up defences along side Greek and Yugoslav soldiers at the Veria Pass. They were vastly outnumbered and fought rearguard actions almost non stop day and night for two weeks until evacuated to Crete. The 2nd/1st joined with the 2/11th Battalion and Greek troops and set up defences around Retimo airfield. The Aussies made dummy gun pits and the Nazis fell for it, 3 Battalions of German paratroopers landed right on top of them and the Anzacs killed over 400 and took over 500 prisoner. Still vastly outnumbered, they fought like true Anzacs and managed to hold off constant attacks for the next week. Surrounded and cut off, the cheeky Anzacs stole marker panels and tricked a German plane into dropping stores to them. On the last morning they were surrounded by hundreds of German tanks and thousands of infantry, out of both ammo and luck, they had no choice but to surrender. Les had malaria and stopped in Kokkina POW hospital briefly, then joined the rest of the battalion in Poland at Stalag 8b. He spent the next 4 years in extremely poor conditions as a POW with nothing but the clothes he stood up in. In early 1945 Les was in a deadly forced march in heavy snow when the German Army were about to be overrun. Eventually Les and his mates still alive were liberated by the Russian Army. Mitch recovered in a hospital in the UK and got back home by late 1945. He returned to his home near Kyogle, married Muriel from Lismore had kids and died at age 52. Lest we forget Kyogle's own Anzac legend, NX46411 Private Les Mitchell.

From NAA service records, AWM unit history of 2/1 Bn AIF and 1 RAR Association published letters from soldiers of 2/1 Bn.