MITCHELL, James Patrick
| Service Number: | 1213 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Mount Gambier, South Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Mount Gambier, Mount Gambier, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Coach painter |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Feb 1916: | Enlisted Private, 1213, 3rd Pioneer Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 1213, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 6 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 1213, 3rd Pioneer Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 1213 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Charles Campbell College
James Patrick Mitchell was a soldier who fought for the Australian Forces during World War One (1914-1918). He was born in 1893 in Mount Gambier, South Australia and grew up there. His next of kin was his father but it is uncertain whether or not his mother was still alive afterwards. Aged around nineteen, he got a job as a coach painter and worked in this profession until 1916 when (aged 23), he enlisted to fight in World War One. There was no previous military service on his records and he had no experience in combat.
He enlisted on the 28th of February 1916 in his hometown of Mount Gambier, was given the rank of Private and put into the unit of the 3rd Pioneer Battalion. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A62 Wandilla on the 6 June 1916. They trained in the United Kingdom before being posted to France in late 1916.
From there, the battalion served on the Western Front and in Belgium until the end of the war. James Patrick Mitchell, along with the rest of the 3rd Pioneer Battalion fought in several battles on the Western Front, such as Messines, The Third Battle of Ypres and The Battle of Broodseinde. However, the pioneer battalion was more likely assigned to the assaulting companies for digging trenches, road clearance, anti-aircraft defence and water supply, laying pipes and ensuring that they were maintained throughout the battle. The battalion remained there, providing support and reinforcements more than anything until early 1918, where they served around Belle, Heilly and Ribemont between March and May 1918 in an effort to halt the German Offensive.
On May the 1st 1918, James Patrick Mitchell was wounded in action in Belle, most likely by a gunshot to the lower arm. He was treated on the battlefield and participated in further fighting until they were relieved by the 2nd Pioneer Battalion and transferred to the Somme. On the 7th of June 1918, James Patrick Mitchell was taken into hospital for wounds he received in the Somme and he remained there until the 28th of June before he returned to the battalion. The 3rd Pioneer Battalion then took part in the Battle of Hamel before joining the Hundred Days Offensive, which was launched around Amiens in August 1918. In October 1918, they fought for the final time on the Hindenburg Line before they were withdrawn and moved back to the Abbeville area. They saw no further action and the war ended on the 11th of November 1918.
Of the five Australian pioneer battalions, the 3rd Pioneer Battalion spent the longest period of time in the infantry role, spending more days in combat, standing-to and in the line than any of the others. They were disbanded in March 1919 and James Patrick Mitchell returned to Australia on the 21st. He seemed to adapt to civilian life moderately well and received two medals; the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The last known record of James Patrick Mitchell is a letter requesting a pension after the war. The request was granted.