Henry John Mitchell – Military Medal
Regimental number: 916b Rank: Private
Returned to Australia (RTA)
Henry John Mitchell was born on 6 September 1886 at Orbost, Gippsland, Victoria. He married Annie Porter in 1911 in Brisbane and lived at 149 Oxford St, Bulimba. He was a labourer who enlisted in Brisbane on 3 January 1916 aged 30 years.
Assigned a Private with the 41st Battalion, he embarked from Sydney on the “HMAT Demosthenes” A64 on 18 May 1916 arriving in France in September 1916 as part of the 52nd Battalion Henry was wounded in France in November 1916 receiving a gunshot wound to his arm. He was sent to England re-joining his unit in May 1917 after suffering from scabies and contusions. On 31 October 1917, Henry was awarded a Military Medal as cited in 1st ANZAC routine order 88. On 9 December 1917 he was wounded in action for a second time, receiving a wound to his right shoulder and right ankle and was sent to hospitals in Birmingham, Dartford and Hurdcott. On 30 May 1918 he re-joined his unit in France. He returned to Australia in May 1919. Henry was entitled to the British War and Victory Medals.
After the war, he returned to live in 149 Oxford St, Bulimba with his family. His wife Annie died in 1927. In 1941, Henry enlisted in WW2. After WW2, he married Kathleen Patience (nee Bannister) and by 1947 he had a total of 12 children to care for. They continued to live in Bulimba for another 20 years before moving to Shorncliffe.
