Captain John Mitchell | Squash Champion of Egypt
Field binoculars; military cross and presentation box; photo in RFC uniform; service medals
My grandfather, Captain John (Jack) Mitchell, joined the Royal Field Artillery in 1914. He identified as British and was a member of the Church of Ireland in Waterford. He saw action at Ypres and won the Military Cross at Sheik Saad on 6 April 1916 in Mesopotamia. He joined the RFC, but in 1917, a crash-landing left him unfit for flying with a steel plate in his head; he was then made captain of the garrison in Cairo until 1923.
He was an avid sportsman, playing rugby for the British army, soccer for Leicester and Waterford, and cricket for the MCC and Northampton. Sometime between 1919 and 1923 (his time in Cairo), he became the squash champion of Egypt; for this he was given a cup, which my cousin has since brought back to Cairo to the same squash club--they were excited to see it!
After the war, he coached and refereed cricket at a Quaker school in Waterford: in this way, he could focus on his sport and social life rather than a profession. He volunteered during World War II and received the Emergency Medal for his service. He died in 1966.
I received these items from my father, who also had his ceremonial sword. A velvet hat from his time on the British army rugby team was inherited by another family member, and again, my cousin inherited his squash trophy.
John Mitchell's field binoculars
John Mitchell
Other
John Mitchell's Military Cross
John Mitchell received this at Sheik Saad on 6/4/1914
Middle East
Medal
John Mitchell's Medal Presentation Box
Photograph of Capt. John Mitchell
Photograph
Captain John Mitchell in his RFC uniform.
John Mitchell's war medals
CONTRIBUTOR
David Mitchell
DATE
1914 - 1923
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
6
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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