LEST WE FORGET 249 MITCHELL, James WWI James Mitchell was born on March 2, 1892, in Ayr, Scotland. He immigrated to Canada in 1913. His father James and mother Elizabeth Annie Eustace (Kirk) Mitchell were living in Hawarden when their son James enlisted in Outlook on December 24, 1915, at the age of 25. At the time, James was single and working on a farm. After basic training at Camp Hughes, James Mitchell embarked from Halifax for Europe on August 15, 1916. Like many his comrades from the 128th, he was reassigned to the 46th Battalion for warfare in France. During his twelve-and-ahalf months of service in France, James suffered several wounds. On June 10, the 46th Battalion received orders to achieve two objectives: first, to use normal formation and “waves” (75 yards between waves) to advance 400 yards and capture a German trench. After securing the trench, the soldiers were to set up a defensive position 50 yards in advance of the captured trench. As part of that manoeuvre, on June 11, 1917, Mitchell received a severe wound to his right leg; he was back in service on November 22 of the same year. On October 7, 1918, he suffered a gunshot wound to his right hand. He was entitled to wear 2 Gold Casualty Stripes and 3 Blue Service Chevrons. After the Armistice, James Mitchell received his discharge papers in Regina on March 29, 1919. He married Sophia Lilian Westbrook. They had four children, all of whom were born in Strongfield: Iris Mary (1927), Donald James (1928), Robert John (1931) and Barry Kirk (1935). James Mitchell died on August 10, 1948, in Vancouver at the age of 56. He is buried in the Chilliwack Cemetery. MITCHELL, Ralph Eugene WWI Ralph was born on November 7, 1902 (1898 on his enlistment form) in Alexandria, Manitoba to Arthur William and Mary Ellen (Stubbins) Mitchell. The family had moved to the Hazelcliffe area in 1906 and to the Bear Creek area in 1912. They later settled in Tantallon. Ralph was the youngest of five children in the family. He was farming when he enlisted with the 217th Battalion on February 23, 1917 in Regina with his brother. They left Halifax aboard the Olympic on June 2, 1917. Although many other soldiers from the area must have known Ralph was only fifteen years old and headed to England, no one reported the matter. Soon after arriving at Bramshott, he was hospitalized with influenza from July 25 to August 21, 1917. He was sent to France on March 1, 1918 with the 28th Battalion and served nine months before officials received a copy of his 1902 birth certificate. He was sent back to England with “not to be sent overseas until nineteen” on his file but was granted leave from January 31 to February 13, 1919 and allowed to wear two blue chevrons. He was shipped back to Canada on February 14, 1919. After arriving back home in Tantallon, Ralph passed away on February 6, 1923 at just twenty years of age. He is buried at Hazelcliffe Cemetery near his mother, who died in 1926; his father remarried and died in 1938.
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