TOPIC:

In Utley Cemetery, Keighley.




....This one's a bit of a mystery.
.
....Percy Lenord Mitchell isn't named on Keighley's memorial - www.angloboerwar.com/forum/17-memorials-...hley-yorkshire#75684 - so the implication is that he wasn't a resident in the area immediately prior to the outbreak of the war. His birth registration has Keighley as his place of birth, and the middle name on his birth and death registrations is Leonard.
....The other names on the monument in the cemetery are Sam Mitchell (born 23.5.1844, died 25.1.1914), Ellen Eliza Mitchell, Sam's wife (died 20.9.1880, aged 35), and Charles Herbert, their son (died 29.4.1880 in infancy), and I assume that Percy was also Sam and Ellen's son. Ellen died at Keighley, and Sam died at Knaresborough, near Harrogate, so did Sam move there after Ellen's death, taking Percy with him?
....It's not even clear who's buried in the grave, as the entry on Find a Grave says that Percy is there. www.findagrave.com/memorial/79083909/percy-lenord-mitchell

A bit of a mystery indeed!

Baptised Dec 3rd 1876 Percy Leonard Mitchell
Mother and Father residing in Ash Street, father Samuel a Commercial Traveller. Mother Ellen Eliza.

1881 Census has Samuel living at the Midland Hotel Bradford Road
With his daughter Edith aged 7 and Percy aged 4, also living with them is a Sarah Jane Clifton aged 21. Interestingly, Samuel's profession has him as a Commercial Traveller/ Hotel Manager?

1891 has the family living in Manningham Bradford. This is where I believe that Samuel aged 46 married again. His wife was Ellen Clara aged 36.
Children listed , Edith, Percy and Nellie.

Percy was in the 1st Battalion West Riding Regiment
Below are  3 entries from the ABW site.


Mitchell P   3092  Private  1st Battalion West Riding Regiment
Demise: Died of wounds 20 Mar 1900
Place: Paardeberg + Cape Town
Source: In Memoriam by S Watt


Mitchell P  3092 Private  Died of disease. Wynberg, 20 March 1900
1st Battalion. West Riding Regiment
Source: South African Field Force Casualty Roll

Mitchell  P 3092 Private, Wounded. Paardeberg, 18 February 1900
1st Battalion. Died 20 March 1900
Source: South African Field Force Casualty Roll

His medal roll was was signed off on the 16th July 1901 Pienaars River, Transvaal Colony. Clasps awarded Paardeberg and Relief of Kimberley.  Remarks column, Died 20/3/1900.

Probate dated 1914 bequeathes £198 pounds 11 shillings and 4 pence to Ellen Clara Mitchell
Note ( Error on date of death ) Wound date recorded.



 Lenord? A Victorian / Edwardian Stonemason typo perhaps?

Berenice, Dave - Fantastic additions to the site.

Many thanks for all the time you devote to research and to sharing that information with others.

I found newspaper reports (Evening Mail 26 March 1900, Army and Navy Gazette 31 March 1900) stating he died 18 March which agrees with the Probate record. These newspapers quote official dispatches from Cape Town.

In SAFF the "Addenda and Corrigenda" says to delete the entry showing he died of disease March 20. What exactly was wrong; that he died, died of disease or the date is not clear as they never published a subsequent amendment. But, the roll compilers knew there was an error. We know he died, we know he died at Wynberg, so that just leaves the date to be questioned.

From this I think the correct date of death is March 18.

Thank you, Dave and Meurig, and I've corrected the date in the thread's heading.

Edit - I've found a brief mention of his death in the Keighley paper.
. ....Percy Leonard Mitchell, only son of Mr. Sam Mitchell, a member of the 1st West Riding Regiment, who was wounded at Paardeberg, has died from wounds in Wynberg Hospital.
The Keighley News, Saturday 31st March 1900