Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

When ‘Thomas Mitchell’ enlisted in early 1915 he stated he was born on 20 February 1894 at Kuri Kuri Kurri Kurri), New South Wales, Australia, of Scottish parents (according to his personnel file). He noted he was a labourer for J. Gray of Glenavy, with whom he was residing. He named an uncle as next-of-kin – J. Neil, Maheno, Otago. Also named was Thos S. Cairns, Kaitangata. Private Thomas Mitchell embarked with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 3rd Reinforcements on 14 February 1915 at Wellington, destined for Suez, Egypt. The newspapers of mid-September 1915 carried the report that he was slightly sick, his next-of-kin being his uncle – Mr J. Neil, Maheno. On 8 October he embarked for England. He was admitted, slightly sick, to the First Southern Hospital at Birmingham, his next-of-kin then being Mr Thomas S. Cairns, Kaitangata. T. Mitchell, 6/1631, was recorded as being embarked for return to New Zealand in 1917, recorded as arriving at Auckland on 29 April. “6/1631 Driver Thomas Mitchell. Army Service Corps home service details, was tried by district court-martial on the 23rd inst. on charges of drunkenness and damaging Government property (breaking windows) and was sentenced to seven days’ detention and the stoppage of his pay until the damage was made good.” (Otago Daily Times. 29 July 1918) But what became of Thomas Mitchell? Correspondence between War Veterans in Vancouver, Canada, and New Zealand Army Headquarters suggested that he may have gone to Canada. Two uncles of Thomas did go to Canada from Scotland – Alexander Mitchell and Robert Prentice Mitchell. As well as his aunts – Ann Mitchell Cairns and Janet Somerville Mitchell Neill, another uncle came to New Zealand, David Mitchell. They were from a family of fifteen (eight sons and seven daughters) of Thomas Mitchell and Isabella McFarlane, who died in 1874 and 1881 respectively. But that raises the question - which son was the father of Thomas born in 1894? A submission by a great niece to SCRoll in October 2023 resolves the issue:

“Robert Mitchell Cairns, born 30 Jun 1895 Kaitangata NZ, was the youngest child of Thomas S Cairns and Annie née Mitchell [Annie Mitchell had married Thomas Cairns in 1873 in Lanarkshire and settled in New Zealand by 1880] ... He enlisted using his grandfather's name and his brother's (William's) address in Kurri Kurri NSW. he also used his Uncle John Craig Neill as his next of kin." After the war he did not return to Kaitangata. "He had promised to bring a monkey back from the war, and he had put a chain around a young willow tree at their home to secure the monkey when it arrived. The willow tree grew, the chain gradually disappeared into the trunk, and Robert didn’t return." Ultimately Robert "…went to Canada still using his false name. He eventually ended up in British Columbia, working on a logging tugboat on the Fraser River. He died on 4 Jan 1973 at Shaughnessy Hospital, Vancouver, Canada and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery F.O.H. Vancouver 10, BC [British Columbia].” 'Thomas'.Robert's older brothers David Mitchell Cairns, George Mitchell Cairns and James Cairns also served with the New Zealand Forces.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [July 2021]; NZ Times, 20 September 1915, 22 October 1915, 5 November 1915, Evening Post, 30 April 1917, Otago Daily Times, 29 July 1918 (Papers Past) [15 July 2021]; SCRoll web submissions by C Dowie, 3 October 2023.

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.