Alan Fayers Mitchell

Rank 
Lance Corporal
Regiment 
Rifle Brigade
Date of death 
25 September 1915
Age of death 
21
Address 
52 Montalt Road
Woodford Green
Woodford
IG8 9SW
Address source 
1915 Probate
Cemetery / Memorial 
Belgium
Biography 

Born in 1893, Alan Fayers Mitchell was the son of Elizabeth Harriet Mitchell and Alexander Mitchell, a wine and spirit merchant. In 1911, the family were living at 42, Hartley Road, Leytonstone, Essex. He attended Coopers Company School in 1905.

Alan became a Lance Corporal in the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own) 12th Battalion and was killed in action on the 25th September 1915 at 22 years old. He wrote his will in the trenches and left his estate worth £252.3s.1d to his father.

Alan Mitchell is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Belgium.

Some information / extracts have been reproduced with kind permission of Karen Pack from her book ‘Coopers’ Boys & Coborn Girls: Their Part in the Great War’ © Karen Pack, 2015

Sources:

Ancestry.com

ICHS school records and magazines

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

 

Alan Fayers Mitchell (whose middle name appears as ‘Faynes’ on records held by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) was born on 5th December 1893 at Leytonstone, son of Alexander (Wine & Spirit Merchant) and Elizabeth Harriet Mitchell. He was Baptised Alan Fayers Mitchell. 1901: With his family at “Cannock” Hartley Road Leytonstone. 1911: A Scholar, still at 42 Hartley Road Leytonstone. His Will gives the address of the family home as 52 Montalt Road Woodford Green.

He was a Clerk with the London County & Westminster Bank when he enlisted in the Rifle Brigade, and began training in Winchester on 9th August 1914. He landed in Boulogne on 19th May 1915 as part of 14 Light Division. From there they went on to see action at Hooge where the Division became the first to face the new flamethrower weapons.

On the first day of the Battle of Loos, 12 Rifle Brigade with others mounted secondary attacks at Pietre. At 06.00 the Indian Meerut Division attacked Mauquissait, and reached the third line of German trenches before 06.30. 12 Rifle Brigade “B, C, & D” Companies were ordered to support them at 08.25, while “A” Company dug a communication trench. In spite of heavy enfilade machine gun fire, all three Companies had reached the German lines by 09.30. When digging became impossible due to German fire, “A” Company men tried to join the attacking Companies, but were forced to take refuge in a ditch.

As the intensity of the German response increased, Indian troops began to fall back.  The Germans pressed on and advanced, while the lack of support and diminishing supplies of British ammunition meant the earlier gains became unsustainable. British artillery were also unaware the trenches had been captured, and so continued to shell them. When the C.O. of 1 Black Watch who were also under attack in the trenches declared the situation to be untenable and decided to withdraw, 12 Rifle Brigade did likewise. By 12.30 the attack was over, and 12 Rifle Brigade had returned to the British Lines they had left earlier that day. The cost of the morning was 7 Officers and 322 men killed wounded or missing. Alan Mitchell was among those who were never found.

He is commemorated by a table in St Andrew’s Church The Drive, Ilford, which was presented by his parents and siblings. One wonders whether this might have begun life in All Saints Church at Woodford. His name is featured on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium and on Oak Communion Rails at All Saints Church which was removed.

Reseach by Adrian Lee, Local Historian

Principal Sources:

Ancestry.com

FindmyPast.co.uk

Commonwealth War Graves Commission