Alfred Thomas Mitchell was the third eldest child in a family of nine children (eight of them boys).  According to his surviving Naval papers, he was born on 15^th June 1884 at Haywards Heath, Sussex although census returns for 1891 and 1901 give his place of birth as Horsted Keynes and Lindfield respectively.

 

His parents, Charles and Emily Mitchell, were married in 1880 and by the time the 1881 census was taken they were living at 1 Upper Birchland, Newick.  Both were aged 22 with Charles (born in Lindfield) working as an agricultural labourer.  Ten years on, by the time the 1891 census was taken, Charles and Emily were living at what looks like Plummers Den Cottage No 1 in Lindfield and had five children:  Charles Mitchell (aged nine), Henry J Mitchell (aged eight), Alfred Mitchell (aged six), John Mitchell (aged three) and Albert Mitchell (aged eleven months).

 

By the time the 1901 census was taken the family was still living at the same Lindfield address but there were now more brothers – and a sister.  New arrivals and their ages in 1901 were: Elsie Mitchell (aged seven), Walter Mitchell (aged five), Wallace Sidney Mitchell (aged four) and Maurice Gilbert Mitchell (aged nine months).

 

Alfred and Albert Mitchell do not appear on the 1901 census at the family’s home address.  They were at the house of William and Mercy Plummer in Plumpton.  Alfred, aged 16 is noted as a grocer’s porter; Albert, aged ten, is recorded as a schoolboy.  The two boys were nephews of William and Mercy Plummer: Mercy Sophia Plummer was the half sister of their mother, Emily. 

 

Alfred Mitchell was a career sailor who joined the Royal Navy at Portsmouth on 28^th October 1902 for a period of 12 years.  He was five feet, four inches tall, had light hair, hazel eyes and a fair complexion.  It was noted that he had an operation scar on his right hip and one on the inside of his right knee.  He gave his occupation as baker.  Interestingly, on the 1901 census, Alfred’s 13 year old brother John Mitchell is noted as a baker so perhaps the two brothers were working together by the time Alfred decided to join the Navy.

 

He was given the number 301785 and the rating of stoker 2^nd class.  His subsequent (extensive) service record looks like this:

 

28^th October 1902 – 31^st March 1903: HMS Duke of Wellington II

1^st April 1903 – 1^st May 1903: HMS Nelson

2^nd May 1903 – 6^th May 1903 – HMS Duke of Wellington

7^th May 1903 – 18^th May 1903 – HMS Revenge

19^th May 1903 – 31^st May 1903 – HMS Duke of Wellington II

1^st June 1903 – 17^th May 1904 – HMS Exmouth

18^th May 1904 – 28^th May 1906 – HMS Prince of Wales

29^th May 1906 – 31^st July 1906 – HMS Victory II

1^st August 1906 – 30^th September 1906 – HMS Excellent

1^st October 1906 – 8^th October 1906 – HMS Victory II

9^th October 1906 – 7^th October 1910 – HMS Mercury

8^th October 1910 – 25^th January 1911 – HMS Fisgard

26^th January 1911 – 30^th June 1911 – HMS Mercury

1^st July 1911 – 19^th September 1911 – HMS Arrogant

20^th September 1911 – 14^th October 1912 – HMS Bonaventure

15^th October 1912 – 23^rd June 1913 – HMS Maidstone

24^th June 1913 – 5^th September 1913 – HMS Dolphin

6^th September 1913 – 17^th September 1913 – HMS Victory II

18^th September 1913 – 24^th October 1913 – HMS Assistance

25^th October 1913 – 18^th December 1913 – HMS Vivid II

19^th December 1913 – 31^st July 1914 – HMS Western Penarth

1^st August 1914 – 18^th May 1916 – HMS Albion

19^th May 1916 – 17^th September 1917 – Vivid II

18^th September 1917 – 10^th April 1919 – HMS Devonshire

11^th April 1919 – 31^st August 1919 – HMS Penarth

1^st September 1919 – 19^th January 1923 – HMS Brixham

 

During his career, Alfred Mitchell was promoted several times:

 

19^th July 1906 – stoker 1^st class

11^th August 1910 – acting leading stoker

19^th January 1911 – leading stoker

19^th January 1912 – stoker petty officer

1^st August 1914 – stoker petty officer 1st class

8^th December 1918 – leading boatman

 

On 20^th March 1914 he had opted to extend his term of service with the Royal Navy to 20 years and during his long career he was also awarded three good conduct badges (on 27^th October 1905, 25^th October 1910 and 24^th October 1915).  He passed educationally for stoker petty officer on 19^th January 1911 at the expiration of three months’ Mechanical Training Course.  The rating of leading boatman was a Coastguard rating so it appears that Alfred Mitchell finished his career in the Navy with the Coastguard. His character was rated as consistently good, with his ability ranging from satisfactory to superior and excellent.

 

Alfred Mitchell’s brothers Albert, Henry, John, Wallace (Sidney) and Maurice, also served during the First World War.  All of them survived.  Their distant relatives, the Plummer brothers were less fortunate.  Albert, Alexander and Owen Plummer all lost their lives.

 

 

Sources and Acknowledgements

 

• 1881 Census of England and Wales
• 1891 Census of England and Wales
• 1901 Census of England and Wales
• England and Wales, Civil Registration Index: 1837-1983
• Chailey Parish Magazine
• Alfred Mitchell’s partial Naval service record exists at The National Archives at Kew, London, ref: ADM 188/490
• Charles (Joseph) on The Great War Forum for helping explain some of the abbreviations on Alfred Mitchell’s service record.