The historically important K.C.B, D.S.O, M.C., A.F.C., group awarded to Air Chief Marshal Sir William Gore Sutherland ( ‘Ginger Mitch’) Mitchell, who later became the first RAF Officer to be appointed ‘Black Rod’ in the House of Lords.
Sold by Direct Order of the Descendants.
| Estimate: | £18,000 - £22,000 |
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, K.C.B. (Military) Silver Gilt
Order of the Bath Star, silver and silver-gilt, with enamel and gold wearing pin.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, C.B.E. (Military). Silver-gilt and enamel.
G.V.R Distinguished Service Order
G.V.R Military Cross.
G.V.R Airforce Cross
1914 Star with original bar. Officially renamed Lieut. W.G.S.Mitchell. High: L.I. ATTD: R.F.C
British War Medal. Correctly impressed LT. Col. W.G.S. Mitchell. R.A.F.
Victory Medal (MID Emblem). Correctly impressed LT. Col. W.G.S. Mitchell. R.A.F.
G.V.R Indian General Service Medal, two bars, Waziristan 1919-21 and Waziristan 1921-24. Correctly impressed W/C. W.G.S. Mitchell. R.A.F.
Defence Medal
War Medal
Jubilee 1935
Coronation 1937
Condition GVF and better.
Sold with the commission document signed by King George 6th appointing him as Black Rod and a pencil drawing of Mitchell.
William Gore Sutherland Mitchell was born in Cumberland, NSW, Australia, on the 8th of March 1888. The son of William Broadfoot Mitchell (1850 to 1899) and Edith Maria Mitchell, nee Gore (1863 to 1938). His father, William, was a very successful brewer who spent five years in Kent, studying and gaining practical knowledge of the brewery industry. He became managing director of Tooth and Co Brewery, which is still in existence today, or at least the brand is. William Sr was very active in sports and in sailing; he sadly passed away aged 49.
Mitchell was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, from 1902 until 1906; he excelled at Rugby, captaining the XV’s. After leaving school, he was commissioned into the 3rd battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. On the 16th of March 1909, it was announced he would join the Highland Light Infantry, serving as a Second Lieutenant. He was serving in Lucknow, Bengal, in 1911; on the 23rd of August 1911, he became a Free Mason of the Chutter Munzil Lodge, based in Lucknow. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 4th of November 1911.
While aircraft were still very much in their infancy, Mitchell developed a fascination with flight and undertook private pilot training. He qualified at the Vickers School, Brooklands, on the 17th of May 1913, his test was taken in a Vickers Biplane, and his license was number 483.
When the Great War broke out. Mitchell was quickly attached to 4 Squadron Royal Flying Corps. The Squadron flew patrols along the South East Coast, searching for German Airships. He was amongst the very first pilots to take the Channel flight and land in France on the 13th of August 1914. He was part of ‘A’ flight which departed at East church and landed at Amiens after refuelling at Boulogne. Mitchell flew in a B.E.2, serial number 318, with his Observer Cpl Simpson Much of that month was taken up with reconnaissance flights, plotting German troop positions and advancements. Aerial fighting and bombing raids had yet to really be executed; the threat wasn’t from enemy aircraft at that time; it was from the German ground forces. Mitchell flew B.E.2’s and Farman. S.7’s during this period.
Mitchell took part in the retreat from Mons. 4 Squadron were instrumental in halting the retreat when they provided reconnaissance evidence that General Von Kluck had switched the German advance South Eastwards. Kluck’s move left a 32-mile gap in the German lines with his flank exposed to the French Sixth Army; the next day, the 6th of September, the Battle of Aisne began. Mitchell and 4 Squadron took part in the battle, but perhaps not in the way they had hoped. The pilots and aircraft supported other squadrons. By October 1914, the Squadron was based a St Omer and still carrying out reconnaissance duties.
The first months of the Great War were an invaluable learning period for the pilots of the RFC. Mitchell’s performance was recognised with a Mention in Despatches on the 19th of October and the 9th of December 1914. He was promoted to Temporary Captain on the 15th of January 1915 and transferred to 10 Squadron, serving as a flight commander.
The Squadron was equipped with the new B.E.2 C’s and took part in the Battle of Loos. On the 17th of May 1915, Mitchell was promoted to permanent Captain. He was made Officer Commanding of the Squadron on the 2nd of June 1916 and was promoted to Temporary Major. 10 Squadron was a Corps Squadron whose role was to support Army Corps XI, IV and others with reconnaissance and artillery cooperation. Despite this, the Squadron did see action on the Somme.
On the 1st of July 1916, The First Day of the Somme, 10 Squadron was in continuous action; the operational records for the day state ‘conducted bombing raids day and night, particularly on railway junctions, billets and dumps. On railway southwards from Lille towards Lens, Douai, Cambrai and Valenciennes’.
Although the Squadron wasn’t actively seeking aerial combat, there are a number of instances listed in the ORB describing dogfights. For his service leading the Squadron during the Battle of the Somme, Mitchell was awarded the Military Cross on the 1st of January 1917.
On the 17th of December 1916, Major J B Ward took over command of 10 Squadron. Due to his excellent airmanship and leadership, Mitchell was promoted to Officer commanding 12th (Corps) Wing RFC. In this position, overall command of 3, 8, 12, 13, 35 and 59 Squadrons was Mitchell’s responsibility. 12th Wing served as the Army Cooperation support for the 3rd Army Brigade. While still first tasked with reconnaissance and artillery duties, due to the evolved nature of the war in the air, offensive and defences patrols were now carried out. On assuming Command, Mitchell was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant Colonel on the 17th of December 1916.
Mitchell remained in command of 12th Wing until the 9th of July 1918; during his tenure, the Wing took part in the battles of Arras and Cambrai. For his leadership, particularly during the Battle of Arras, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on the 1st of January 1918. He had once again been Mentioned in Despatches on the 11th of December 1917. The Royal Flying Corps had, of course, become the Royal Airforce on the 1st of April 1918, and Mitchell's rank of Temporary Lieutenant Colonel had been carried over to the RAF. He was awarded the Airforce Cross on the 3rd of June 1919 in the King’s birthdays honour list for service during the Great War.
On the 9th of July 1919, he was promoted to Temporary Colonel and placed in command of No 20 Group RAF. The group was short-lived and was disbanded in September 1919. On the 1st of August 1919, Mitchell was granted a permeant commission in the Royal Airforce, with the rank of Wing Commander.
For his service during the Great War, Mitchell was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Airforce Cross, a 1914 Star Bar Trio and four Mention in Despatches.
He married Essy Gordon Jane Plant on the 31st of October 1919. This was Essy’s second marriage; her first husband, Captain Frederic Leonard Hingston, 1st Bn Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, was killed in action at Ypres in April 1915. Essy was born in Burma on the 30th of April 1889, the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel William Charles Plant, Indian Army, a career soldier and Essy Gibson Plant. Her father passed away in 1900, and she moved with her mother to St Helier, Jersey. A wealthy family, her mother was living on her own means at the time of the 1901 census. After her mother passed away in 1910, she moved to Kensington, London and at the time of the 1911 census, was living at 9 to 11 Templeton Place, which appears to have been a hotel. She married her first husband the following year. William and Essy had a child in 1920 that tragically didn’t live past a year. They never had another child.
On the 6th of January 1920, he was made commander of No 52 (Corps) Wing in India. He took part in operations in Waziristan, earning the Indian General Service medals with claps Waziristan 1919-21 and Waziristan 1921 -24. During those periods, he commanded No 1 and No 3 (Indian) Wings. For his service there, he was made C.B.E. on the 30th of May 1924 and Mentioned in Despatches on the 10th of June 1921 and the 30th of May 1924. The citation for the C.B.E.;
‘This Officer was in command of the Royal Air Force squadrons during the operations from the 15th of December 1922 to April 1923, during which time these squadrons were continuously employed. He was of the greatest assistance to directing the operations of the Royal Air Force against the hostile tribesmen. During later operations he controlled the contact work of the Royal Air Force with the infantry with great ability, and maintained the efficiency of his squadrons in spite of continuous and heavy calls on his men and machines’
On the 1st of July 1924, he was promoted to Group Captain; at the time, he was in command of No 1 FTS ( Flight Training School) based at RAF Shawbury. From the 19th of January 1925 until March 1928 he was based at RAF Halton as Officer in Command of No 1 Squadron of Technical Training (Boys)
Mitchell was posted to Aden on the 8th of March 1928 and was made Officer Commanding the RAF station there. He was promoted to Air Commodore on the 1st of July 1929 and, on the 4th of October 1929, was made Director of Training for the RAF. On the 30th of June 1933, Mitchell was given command of RAF Cranwell and served as Commandant of the RAF College. Promoted to Air Vice Marshal on the 1st of July 1933 and placed in command of the RAF in Iraq on the 31st of December 1934. On the 1st of January 1935, he was upgraded to C.B.
On the 1st of July 1937, he became Air Member for Personnel on the Air Council and was promoted to Air Marshal the same day. On the 1st of January 1938, he was promoted to K.B.E. and gained the title ‘Sir’, with his wife becoming Lady Essy Gordon Jane Mitchell.
During the opening stages of the Second World War, Mitchell was Air Officer Commanding – in – Chief of the Royal Airforce in the Middle East. Holding this appointment from the 23rd of March 1939 until the 24th of May 1940, when he was made Inspector General of the Royal Airforce. On the 9th of September 1939, he had been promoted to Acting Air Chief Marshal.
Mitchell has the distinct honour of being the first serving RAF Officer to be made Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod on the 26th of September 1941. The role had traditionally gone to high-ranking Army and Naval Officers. His duties involved maintaining order in the House of Lords and controlling access. He retired from the RAF on the 1st of October 1941, retaining his rank of Air Chief Marshal, from 1942 until his death of the 15th of August 1944. Mitchell was Commandant of the London Air Training Cadets.
Like his father, he sadly passed away at a young age. On the afternoon of his death, he watched a cricket team from his cadets play at Lords. On his return home, he passed away from a heart attack; he was laid to rest in Putney Vale Cemetery.
Air Chief Marshal Mitchell was highly respected; Sir and Lady Mitchell had a wide circle of friends and were very active on the social scene. The Lord Chancellor, Viscount Simon, said of Mitchell;
‘Although his services as Black Rod were so regrettably short, Sir William Mitchell had impressed us all with his attention to duty, his dignified bearing and his in-variable courtesy. We sincerely deplore the loss of the official and friend who was always ready to be kind and helpful in arranging for the accommodation of visitors and in other ways, and who has now passed from the world at the early age of fifty-six. Your Lordships will, I feel sure, wish that a message of condolence and sympathy should be sent to his widow and his relatives’.
Lady Mitchell passed away in 1971, aged 82, at 14 Eresby House, Rutland Gate, London. The same house in which Sir Mitchell suffered his fatal heart attack.
