John Mitchell was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the 2nd October 1891, the son of Charles and Alice Mitchell (née Kirkham). His father was a brass moulder, and John was one of twelve children in the family; however, by 1911, only John and five of his siblings were still alive.
On completing his schooling, he became a dock labourer before joining the British Mercantile Marine as a fireman on steam ships operating out of the port of Liverpool.
He was married to Mary Ann Robinson in Liverpool on the 27th May 1912, and they lived at 65, Highgate Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool. They had no children.
He engaged as a fireman in the Engineering Department on board the Lusitania, at Liverpool, on the 12th April 1915, at a monthly rate of pay of £6-10s.-0d. (£6.50p.) and was killed when she was sunk on the 7th May 1915.
His body was not recovered and identified afterwards and as a result he is commemorated on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London. He was aged 23 years.
In a list of crew members published by the Cunard Steam Ship Company in March 1916, Fireman Mitchell's initials are shown shown as D.J.. The records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which are normally more reliable, only show one forename, however.
In August 1915, his family received from Cunard, the balance of pay owed to him in respect of his service on the Lusitania’s last voyage. This was reckoned to be from the 17th April 1915 until the 8th May - 24 hours after the liner had been sunk. The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted his widow a yearly pension to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £24-2s.-1d. (£24.10½p.) which was payable at the rate of £2-0s.-2d. (£2.01p.) per month.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Liverpool England Church of England Baptisms 1813 – 1919, Liverpool England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1935, 1891 Census of England, 1901 Census of England, 1911 Census of England, Liverpool England Crew Lists 1861 – 1919, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 10th January 2025.