Mitchell, R W H (Robert William Hamilton)
Mitchell, R W H (Robert William Hamilton)
Captain Robert Mitchell was born in Dinajpur Bengal, India during 1871. He joined the army on the 4th of October 1893 as a 2nd Lieutenant and was first promoted on the 1st of July 1896 to 1st Lieutenant and finally to Captain on the 16th of March 1900.
He served at the end of the 19th century in the Northwest Frontier of India (1897-98) and then in South Africa during 1902.
In the 1911 census Robert Mitchell is listed with the 1st Inniskillings in Hong Kong.
The captain belonged to the 3rd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at the time of his death. He had been posted there from the front on the 16th of April 1917, suffering from the advanced stages of Bright’s disease.[1] He had been in France since the 28th of January 1915.
At 11:28 on the morning of the 9th of May 1917 at Ebrington Barracks, Londonderry, a single shot rang out. Private William Charles Cornwell who was the captain’s personal assistant, heard it and ran to investigate. William flung the door of the captain’s room open only to find him lying on his bed with blood spurting from the side of his head. The captain was beyond help and died some moments later.
For reasons unknown, this officer had put his personal side arm to his head and fired it. Earlier in the morning he had prepared to leave and had even ordered a car to take him to the train. He was going to Leenan Fort,[2] Co. Donegal, Ireland.
His funeral took place during Saturday 12th May 1917, with full military honours. Thousands came out to pay their last respects.
He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War and Victory Medals and medals and clasps for the wars in India and South Africa.
Date of Death: 09/05/1917
Service: Captain, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Reserve of Officers.
Service Number: N/A
Burial Location: Londonderry (or Derry), City Cemetery, EA. 75D.
[1] Bright’s disease is a disease involving chronic inflammation of the kidneys.
[2] Leenan Fort was a coastal defense that was built in 1895 and upgraded during 1911. It now lies in ruin and is abandoned.
