MITCHELL, Norman
| Service Number: | 2631 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 49th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Beaudesert, Queensland, Australia, 29 July 1895 |
| Home Town: | Beaudesert, Scenic Rim, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Timber worker |
| Died: | Killed in action, Mouquet Farm, France, 15 August 1916, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Beaudesert War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 22 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2631, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 2631, 9th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 2631, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Brisbane | |
| 15 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2631, 49th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2631 awm_unit: 49th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-08-15 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Norman Mitchell’s younger brother, 17-year-old 485 Pte. Percy Mitchell was an original member of the 26th Battalion AIF and was killed in action three months after Norman’s death at Flers in France. They were the sons of Joseph and Julia Mitchell of Running Creek, near Beaudesert, Queensland.
Norman died during an attack on the Fabeck Graben trench at Mouquet Farm. His death was reported in the Brisbane Daily Mail under the headline,
BOMBTHROWER'S DEATH — STUCK TO HIS POST UNFLINCHINGLY.
"Some few weeks ago the news of the death of Corporal Norman Mitchell, on active service, on the French front was published locally. Corporal Mitchell was the son of Mrs. Mitchell, of Running Creek, Upper Logan, and early last week his mother received a letter respecting her son's death from Private A. A. Corbett (Bromelton), who stated that Lieutenant P. F. Stewart, in. speaking of Corporal Mitchell, said: “I might say that Corporal Mitchell was one of the finest of soldiers, and as a bomb thrower he could not be beaten. He was corporal, of one of my bombing team, and 1 cannot say too much about his many qualities, so I get some idea what it must be for you to lose such a son.”
From information gleaned, it appears the night before Corporal Mitchell’s section was to be relieved there was a heavy bombardment of the trenches, he being, on duty on that line. His officer said he stuck to his post unflinchingly, when a shell caught him and another soldier, both being killed instantly. Corporal Mitchell was buried with full military honors, to the west of Pozieres.
Private Corbett, in his letter to Mrs. Mitchell, and family, writes as follows from "Somewhere in France": “Just a line to express my deepest sympathy in your recent sad bereavement. Your good son was corporal over a team of bombers, to which I was attached. He was killed on Tuesday night, August 16. Though I did not know Norman in civil life, I have been associated with him since the forming of a new battalion, and I knew his true worth as a soldier and a man. Norman also met his brother, (Percy I think was his name) the day before he went into the firing fine; the younger brother was well, but had been slightly wounded."
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