Life Of Charles Carew Mitchell

Life Of Charles Carew Mitchell

Charles Carew Mitchell was born Islington, London on 21 August 1889. He was the second son of Charles and Adeline Mitchell (nee Turner). Charles and Adeline had married on 11 September 1886 and their first son, Leonard, was born a year later. They had 3 other sons – William, Oliver and George – and a daughter, Pauline. Charles Mitchell, senior, died on November 9 1903, aged 37 when Charles Carew was 14 years old. Charles worked for the Board of Education but in 1911 joined the Territorial Army (or Force as it was known at the time) and became part of the 47th Divisional Signals Company, Royal Engineers. The Signals Company provided communications for the 47th (2nd London) Division which was part of the First Line Territorial Force formed in 1908. In August 1914 the 47th Division had just arrived for their annual summer camp on Salisbury Plain when Britain declared war on Germany (4th August 1914). The Division were immediately recalled to their home base and mobilised. The Board of Education records show Charles Mitchell as being on army service from 5 August 1914 – the day after Britain declared war on Germany. A number of units were detached from the Division and sent to France to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) but the remainder of the Division including the Signals Company was sent to France on 8 March 1915 concentrating near Bethune. The 47th (2nd London) Division was only the second TF Division to be sent to the France and Flanders theatre. The Division formed part of the British First Army and saw action at the Battle of Aubers Ridge on 9 May 1915. The attack was to support the French assault on Arras but the battle was a disaster for the British, the initial bombardment failed to break the German wire and many troops were killed as they left their trenches which in some cases were only a few hundred yards from the German lines. The British suffered 11,161 casualties for little ground gained and it had hardly any impact on the French assault. The 47th (2nd London) Division only played a small role in this battle but still suffered 79 casualties. They launched their first major assault on 25 May during the second phase of the fighting at Aubers Ridge, known as the Battle of Festabert. The Division attacked Chapple St. Roch at 6.30 in the evening suffering 980 casualties under heavy German bombardment and repulsing at least one counter-attack. In total, the Division suffered 2,355 casualties. The Division was then involved in a number of major campaigns throughout 1915 and 1916 including the Battle of Loos; the assault on Vimy Ridge supporting the Canadian Army; and the Somme offensive. The part of the Somme offensive they took part in is known as the Battle of Flers Courcelette and involved the capture of High Wood, a small forest near Bazentin Le Petit. The forest had been a target for the British since the beginning of the offensive since July 1916. 5 previous attempts had resulted in 6,000 casualties and, although the 47th’s first attempt failed, they succeeded in taking the Wood but suffered 4,500 casualties in 4 days of fighting. The battle of Flers Courcelette is notable for the first use of tanks in the war. By June 1917, the 47th (2nd London) Division, now part of the British Second Army under General Sir Herbert Plummer, was stationed near the Messines Ridge in Flanders. The Ridge had been in German hands since 1914 and in places the front line trenches had hardly moved. The front line formed a curve around the Allied held city of Ypres in at the northern edge of the sector, then sweeping in a reverse S, with the high ground of the ridge being in German hands. On 7 June 1917 the British launched an offensive with the objective of capturing the German defences on the Ridge which ran from Ploegstreet Wood (named “Plugstreet” by British soldiers in the same way that Ypres became “Wipers”) through the villages of Messines and Wytschaete to Mt. Sorrel, to deprive the German Fourth Army of the high ground south of Ypres. The offensive began with the detonation of 19 mines in 19 seconds at 3.10am creating one of the largest explosions in history, reportedly heard in London and Dublin, demolishing a large part of a hill known as Hill 60. The 47th (2nd London) Division was on the left flank of the attack near the mines at Hill 60 and Caterpillar along with the 23rd Division and behind a creeping artillery barrage advanced onto the ridge around the Ypres-Comines canal and railway cuttings. This part of the attack was achieved quite quickly but north of the canal the 47th Division had to capture a 400 yard long spoil heap where a number of German machine gun posts were established. A foothold was established on the heap but at great cost. The 23rd Division also suffered heavy casualties from flanking fire from the spoil and in clearing their objective of Battle Wood. Amongst the fatalities of the 47th Division on 7 June 1917 was Pioneer Charles Carew Mitchell.

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  • Born 1890

    Died 1917

    British Army 1340 Private London Regiment

    British Army 236912 Private Royal Engineers

    British Army 236912 Pioneer Royal Engineers