Hector_Mitchell

Hector Mitchell

Hector Mitchell

Australian rules footballer

Stoker Hector Matheson Mitchell (19 August 1887 – 16 June 1917) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

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Mitchell, the second son of Andrew and Grace Mitchell, was born in Warrnambool.[2]

He was with St Kilda during the 1908 VFL season and played one senior game, in round 16, as one of three debutants in a 19-point loss to Collingwood at Victoria Park.[3][4]

His football career was put on hold aged 21 when he enlisted in the Royal Navy, on 4 November 1908.[5] Mitchell, a stoker, was a member of the crew on board HMS Psyche initially, then went to England on HMS Challenger.[6] In England he was posted to HMAS Melbourne, the first cruiser launched for the Royal Australian Navy.[7]

Once he returned to Australia, with his five-year term of service completed, Mitchell went to work at the Newport Workshops, where he remained for two years.[6] Around this time he played football for Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).[7]

Mitchell re-enlisted in August 1916 and served on HMAS Cerberus, before he was transferred to HMAS Swan.[6]

On board HMAS Swan, which was in operation with British blockade forces in the Far East, Mitchell began suffering from an illness, described in one source as "brain fever".[7][8] He was sent to a hospital in Singapore, where he died from the illness on 16 June 1917, aged 29.[7][9] Buried with full naval honors, he now rests at Singapore's Kranji War Cemetery.[9][10]

References

  1. [1]
    Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
  2. [2]
    "Family Notices". The Argus. Melbourne. 26 June 1917. p. 1. Retrieved 9 May 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. [3]
    "Hector Mitchell – Games Played". AFL Tables. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  4. [4]
    "Football". The Argus. Melbourne. 10 August 1908. p. 5. Retrieved 8 May 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. [5]
    "Australian Naval Force: Hector Matheson Mitchell". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  6. [6]
    "Heroes at the Front". Warrnambool Standard (Daily ed.). Victoria. 23 June 1917. p. 3. Retrieved 9 May 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. [7]
    "Death in Hospital". The Winner. Melbourne. 27 June 1917. p. 8. Retrieved 9 May 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. [8]
    "In Memoriam". The Age. 15 June 1918. p. 5. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  9. [9]
    "Roll of Honour: Hector Matheson Mitchell". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  10. [10]
    "Stoker Hector Mitchell". Warrnambool Standard (DAILY ed.). Victoria. 28 July 1917. p. 9. Retrieved 9 May 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
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