Samuel Mitchell VC (8 September 1841 – 16 March 1894) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

sailor and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces.

Early life

Samuel Mitchell was born in Aspley in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

, England, on 8 September 1841. His father was a labourer who later became a minister in a Wesleyan church. Mitchell joined the Royal Navy in 1857, shortly before his 16th birthday.

Military career

Mitchell served aboard HMS ''Crocodile'' and later the shore station in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, . In 1860 he was posted to , which was destined for service on the

Australian Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.Dennis et al. 2008, p.53. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, ...

. Operating out of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, the Australian Station area of operations encompassed both Australia and New Zealand. In 1863, during the

Waikato-Hauhau Maori War The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federatio ...

in New Zealand, the ''Harrier'' participated in an expedition up the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

in support of British Army operations. Mitchell, who had been made captain of the foretop, was part of a naval brigade that was raised for service in the

Invasion of the Waikato The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

and which fought in the

Battle of Rangiriri The Battle of Rangiriri was a major engagement in the invasion of Waikato, which took place on 20–21 November 1863 during the New Zealand Wars. More than 1400 British troops defeated about 500 warriors of the Kingitanga (Māori King Movement), ...

. By the end of the year, the fighting in the Waikato region had ceased but hostilities had shifted to

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

, and Mitchell's brigade moved there to participate in the

Tauranga Campaign The Tauranga campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty in early 1864, and part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. The campaign was a sequel to the invasion of ...

. On 29 April 1864, a storming party of 150 marines and sailors, which included Mitchell and the captain of the ''Harrier'', Commander Edward Hay, together with soldiers of the 43rd Light Infantry, succeeded in establishing themselves inside a fortified position known as the

Gate Pa Gate Pa or Gate Pā is a suburb of Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is the location of the Battle of Gate Pā in the 1864 Tauranga campaign of the New Zealand Wars. Demographics Gate Pa covers and had ...

. Hay was wounded and despite being ordered to seek safety, Mitchell carried his commander to shelter. Although Hay died soon after from his wounds, he requested that Mitchell be recognised for his actions. Hay's senior officer, Commodore Sir William Wiseman, duly recommended him for the Victoria Cross (VC). The citation for his VC read: Mitchell was presented with his VC by the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

in a ceremony attended by over 9,000 people at The Domain in Sydney on 24 September 1864. It was the second presentation of the VC to take place in Australia, and the first in New South Wales. Promoted to boatswain's mate, he continued to serve in the Royal Navy before ending his career in the military in mid-1865.

Later life

Mitchell returned to New Zealand and settled on the West Coast of the South Island, and worked on the gold fields there. He later purchased land near

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

and took up farming. He drowned on 16 March 1894 when attempting to cross the

Mikonui River The Mikonui River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows northwest from its sources in the Southern Alps, reaching the Tasman Sea close to the township of Ross. Early settlers on the Mikonui Charles Sheare ...

, which was in flood at the time. His body was recovered three days later. He was survived by his wife, Agnes, whom he married in 1870, and ten children. He is buried in Ross Cemetery.

The medal

Following his VC investiture, Mitchell's medal was placed in storage along with other possessions in his sea chest, which he had left with the proprietors of the boarding house that he stayed in while in Sydney. He intended to have his belongings forwarded to him once he had settled in New Zealand but lost contact with the boarding house proprietors. His medal remained missing until around 1912, when it was purchased at an auction in London. His family attempted to negotiate with the owner of the medal for the return of the medal but it took the intervention of the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

, before they were successful and it was purchased in 1928. His medal is now displayed in the Hokitika Museum in

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

Gallery

Image:VCSamuelMitchellGrave.jpg, The Headstone of Samuel and Agnes Mitchell Image:Samuel Mitchell grave restored.JPG, The restored headstone Image:Detail of Samuel's headstone.JPG, Detail of headstone

Notes

References

External links

Website on Mitchell's life and the VC action
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Samuel 1841 births 1894 deaths Royal Navy sailors Royal Navy personnel of the New Zealand Wars New Zealand Wars recipients of the Victoria Cross British recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Aspley Guise Deaths by drowning in New Zealand English emigrants to New Zealand 19th-century Royal Navy personnel Military personnel from Bedfordshire