When Walter Dawson Mitchell was born at his family home at Seymour Street, Lisburn, County Down, Northern Ireland, on the 27th December 1887, his name was registered as George Patton Dawson! He was the second son of The Reverend George Patton and Elizabeth Dawson Mitchell (née Pounden). The Reverend Mitchell at the time of his birth was a curate of Christ Church Cathedral, Lisburn, and later became the Rector of Ballylesson Church in the Parish of Drumbo, County Down. As well as having an older brother, he also had two sisters – one older, and one younger than him.
Sometime between 1901 and 1911, he began to be known as Walter Dawson George Patton Mitchell, and he was educated at Belfast Academical Institute and Belfast Technical Institute. He then served an apprenticeship with The Island Spinning Company at their mill at Lisburn, County Antrim.
On the 28th December 1912, he married Jeanette Elizabeth Mary “Nettie” Moore, the daughter of William Henry and Mary Moore of Ballycarn, Lisburn. The wedding ceremony took place in the parish church in Ballylesson, with his father officiating. On the evening of their wedding, the couple boarded the California at Londonderry and sailed for America, where they made for Newark, New Jersey, as Walter Mitchell had been offered a position as a superintendent with the textile manufacturers, Messrs. Marshall and Co., of Kearney, Newark. The couple resided at 177. Broad Street, Newark.
In July 1914, a son also named Walter Dawson Mitchell was born to the couple. They both became leading members of the Episcopal Church in Newark in the relatively short time they were there.
Nettie Moore's brother, John Moore, already worked in the textile trade in Connecticut, and it is likely that he helped secure the position in New Jersey for his brother-in-law.
However, because of a recession in the flax and thread industry brought about by the war, the Mitchell’s decided to return to Ballylesson where their respective families still lived. As a result, they booked as second cabin passengers on what was to be the Lusitania's final voyage from New York, on 1st May 1915. John Moore who had lived in Manchester Green, Connecticut, decided to travel home with them.
When the ship was sunk, both Walter Mitchell and his infant son were killed, but Nettie Mitchell and her brother survived. Walter Mitchell senior was aged 27 years.
It would appear that both William Mitchell and his wife were taken out of the sea by a rescue ship, but Mr. Mitchell was unconscious and never revived, although his wife did.
Coincidentally, this was witnessed by his brother-in-law, John Moore, as reported in The Irish News of 10th May 1915: -
He could not describe the awfulness of the scene. He had lost sight of his sister and her husband and was despairing of seeing them again, when he observed them being taken out of the sea and brought aboard the trawler.
Mrs. Mitchell was in a semi-conscious state, and her husband was unconscious. Everything possible was done to restore him, but without success. As for the baby, he (Mr. Moore) did not see it after leaving the liner.
William Mitchell's body was landed at Queenstown, from the trawler, and taken to one of the temporary mortuaries hastily established in the town, where it was given the reference number 56. There was obviously no problem with identification, and it was claimed from there, by his widow and brother-in-law, and enclosed in a massive oak coffin, before being put on a train for Lurgan, and onwards to Ballylesson. Nettie Mitchell and her brother also travelled on this train, which arrived at just after midnight on 9th May. The coffin was then taken away by the local undertaker for subsequent burial in Ballylesson churchyard.
An account of Nettie Mitchell and John Moore’s arrival at Lisburn railway station with the coffin containing William appeared in the Irish Post and Weekly Telegraph edition of 15th May 1915. John Moore also gave a brief account of what happened to the Mitchell’s and himself: -
ULSTER VICTIMS
LISBURN MAN AND CHILD
Amongst the passengers on the Lusitania were Mr. W.D. Mitchell of New Jersey, his wife and baby, and Mr. John Moore, Connecticut, brother of Mrs. Mitchell, who were returning to Ireland on a visit to their parents at Drumbo, Lisburn.
Mr. Mitchell was the second son of Rev. G.P. Mitchell, rector of Drumbo, and grand-nephew of Canon Pounden, Lisburn.
On Saturday evening, Rev. Mr. Mitchell received a brief wire stating that his daughter-in-law and her brother were saved, but that his son and the baby were lost.
A second telegram announced that the survivors and the remains of Walter would arrive at Lisburn by the midnight train from Dublin.
Rev. Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Moore attended at the railway station, and when the train came in there was a very pathetic scene when young Mr. Moore and his grief-stricken sister alighted.
Both bore the appearance of having passed through a terrible ordeal, and were suffering the effects of shock. Consequently they were unable to give any account of their awful experience.
Mr. Moore stated that there were an exceeding large number of passengers – he believed about 600 second-class.
Along with Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell he had just finished lunch, and Mrs. Mitchell had gone to the cabin to see after the baby, when there was a great crash. On reaching the deck he found the passengers rushing for the boats. Some of them had lifebelts but he had none, and he managed to get into one of the boats, which, however, was overturned.
He then got hold of a rope which was hanging over the ship’s side, and while clinging to this he got bruised by numbers of men jumping from the deck in their frantic efforts to save their lives. Getting tossed into the water he was able to reach one of the upturned boats, and clung to the keel till rescued by a minesweeper.
Soon afterwards he saw his sister and her husband brought on board. Mr. Mitchell appeared to be unconscious, and efforts were made to resuscitate him both on the ship and ashore, but without avail. The baby, nine months old, was lost.
The remains of Mr. Mitchell were enclosed in an oak coffin, the breastplate of which bore the simple inscription:-
W.D. Mitchell
Died May 8, 1915.
The late Mr. Mitchell served his apprenticeship to the mill managing business in the Island Spinning Co.’s works, Lisburn, and went to New Jersey to take up an appointment with Messrs Marshall & Co. He was twenty-seven years of age, and married two years.
Mr. Moore served his time with Messrs. McGowan & Ingram, Belfast, and had been in Connecticut for the past four years.
Baby Walter's body was also recovered and given reference number 122, but could not initially have been identified, as it was buried in mass grave C, 1st Row, Lower Tier, in The Old Church Cemetery, Queenstown on 10th May 1915, rather than being buried alongside the body of his father. He was subsequently identified from a photograph by his mother.
Some years after, Nettie Mitchell re-married and had another family. On her death, she was buried in the same cemetery as she had buried her first husband, in Ballylesson churchyard.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, 1915 Newark City Directory, Irish Post and Weekly Telegraph, Irish News, Newark Evening Star, Probate Records, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/194, UniLiv D92/2/221, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.