Charles Mitchell
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Charles Mitchell was born in 1887 in Annesley and was the son of John a coal miner and Betsy Mitchell née Phillips of 60 Whyburn Street, Hucknall. His father John was born in 1855 in Bromyard, Hertfordshire, his mother Betsy Phillips was born in 1863 in Boughton, Nottinghamshire, they were married in 1883 their marriage was recorded in the Basford Registration District, they went on to have 12 children sadly three were to die in infancy or early childhood, their surviving children shown on the 1901 and 1911 census were :- Zenobia b1885, Charles b1887, Clorinda b1889, Rosina b1891, Lottie b1892, Alice b1893, John Robert b 1898, Eliza b1899 and George b1903, all the children were born in Annesley apart from George who was born in Hucknall and Zenobia born in Kirkby. In the 1911 census the family are living at 60 Whyburn Street, Hucknall Torkard and are shown as John 56 yrs a coal miner he is living with his wife Betsy 48 yrs and their youngest children , Alice 18 yrs no occupation listed, John Robert 13 yrs a scholar, Eliza 12 yrs a scholar and George 8 yrs a scholar.
Private Charles Mitchell, enlisted at Derby on 22nd December 1904, he served with 2nd Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment) serving in India prior to being brought back to England when war broke out. He landed with his battalion in France on 8th September 1914 and was killed in action on 25th September 1914. The first Hucknall man to die with the local regiment, he had had a varied career, including, for a time, being a policeman in Skegness. He has no known grave, his name is commemorated on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial
Mitchell was killed by shellfire on the Aisne, as recorded in the battalion war diary. “Sept. 25th. TROYON. All day in Trenches. Suffered a tremendous bombardment in the forenoon from high explosive shells which wrecked much of the parapet. Many ‘dug outs’ blown in & men buried, but considering the nature of this shell fire, etc., it is surprising that casualties were not heavier. Casualties 4 men killed – Lieut. Needham & 11 men wounded. “We were relieved after dark, together with the rest of the 18th Bde. [Brigade] by the 2nd Bde. & marched to PARGNAN arriving at 2.30 a.m., 26th inst. [September 1914]. On approaching the town we found that the enemy were shelling this place from their gun positions N. Of VENDRESSE. On the way up to billets 5 men were wounded by shrapnel. Bombardment continued all night. A very long, trying day.” Battalion War Diary, WO95/1616. Above is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918.
