MITCHELL, James Garfield Alan
| Service Number: | 806 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Violet Street School Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Miner |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Armentieres, France, 19 May 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Rue-David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix Plot I, Row D, Grave No. 18 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bendigo Violet Street School Private Alan Mitchell Memorial Plaque, Ironbark Private Alan Mitchell Memorial Tablet |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 806, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 806, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 806, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 806, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 8 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 806, 7th Infantry Battalion, The August Offensive - Lone Pine, Suvla Bay, Sari Bair, The Nek and Hill 60 - Gallipoli | |
| 19 May 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 806, 7th Infantry Battalion, Armentieres sector, France |
Help us honour James Garfield Alan Mitchell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of William and Isabella Mitchell, of 17, Hope St., Spotswood, Victoria, Australia.
BEHIND ALL SHADOWS STANDETH GOD HIS LOVING MOTHER
Biography contributed by Larna Malone
James Garfield Alan Mitchell, known as ‘Alan’, was born in Bendigo, the son of William (dec.) & Isabella Mitchell, of 40 Hill Street, Little Ironbark, Bendigo. He was a Miner, 22 years old, and had previous military service with the Cadets and in the 67th Infantry. He was amongst the early volunteers for the Expeditionary Force, enlisting on 18.8.14. The following day he left Bendigo for the Broadmeadows Camp. He was allotted Service no. 806 and appointed to ‘G’ Company, 7th Battalion. He became one of the Cooks for the Battalion.
Prior to Embarkation he was Entertained by members of the Park View Football Club and presented with a wristlet watch.
The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’. Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids. (6/12/14)
In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized. In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company. This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.
The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915.
‘Alan’ Mitchell remained with the battalion throughout the Dardanelles campaign. He survived the Landing, the “2nd Battle of Krithia” (8-11 May), the trenches of Steele’s Post (July), and the Battle and trenches of Lone Pine (August).
On September 13 the battalion embarked for Lemnos & marched to Sarpi Camp. The health of the men was of great concern and it was hoped to improve this by an extended period of rest. The men were fed well, but the improvement in the men’s health was to be very slow indeed. The battalion returned to Anzac on November 21st.
In December preparations began for the evacuation of Anzac. The 7th Battalion was withdrawn on the night of December 19th. They embarked for Lemnos and then disembarked in Egypt on 6th January 1916.
James Garfield Alan Mitchell went on to serve on the Western Front. He was KIA on 19/5/1916, and Buried in the Rue David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix, France.
“The First Lot. 7th Battalion. The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone
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