MITCHELL, George Pacificus
| Service Numbers: | 3563, 3563A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia, 3 August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Sacred Heart School, Darlinghurst. New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Accidental (Injuries), France, 20 June 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery Extension |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3563, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3563, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney | |
| 20 Jun 1917: | Involvement Sergeant, 3563A, 53rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3563A awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-06-20 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
George Pacificus MITCHELL (Service Number 3563A) was born in Woollahra on 3rd August 1891. He was the second son of Daniel R Mitchell, an employee of the Tramways. He was educated at the Sacred Heart School, Darlinghurst.
He joined the NSW Government Railways as a telephone boy in the office of the Superintendent of the Lines (then head of the Traffic Branch) in January 1907. In September he was promoted to junior porter there. In August 1912 he was promoted to porter, In May 1913 he became an 8th class signalman, before reverting to porter in September 1914. In September 1915 he was granted leave to enlist in the AIF in Sydney.
He embarked from Sydney with the reinforcements specially recruited from the Railways and Tramways in December 1915. He was in Egypt by February 1916, when he was admitted to hospital for six weeks’ treatment for venereal disease.
In April he was allotted to, and ‘taken on strength’ by, the 55th Battalion, but transferred to the 53rd Battalion in May. He was sent on to France in June. He was appointed Lance Corporal in November 1916 and spent a week at a Divisional Gas School in January 1917. In March he was promoted to Corporal, and in May to Sergeant.
He was burnt to death in an accidental fire of unknown origin in his rest billet in the early morning of 20th June 1917. A military Court of Enquiry held that same day determined that all possible steps had been taken to ensure that everyone was out of the billet. Every effort had been made to get the fire under control, although the water supply was inadequate. Mitchell’s body was found, but not in his sleeping place, after the fire. He was buried in Bouzincourt Communal Cemetery.
He was survived by his widow and two young sons, for whom war pensions were granted.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.