The 10th of July 1940 is recognised as the first day of the Battle of Britain, and it was on this opening day of one of the most monumental events in British history that Pilot Officer Gordon Thomas Manners Mitchell, of No.609 (Auxiliary) Squadron, Royal Air Force, was to see his aircraft become an initial casualty of the conflict. His charge that day was a Supermarine Spitfire (N3203) which had been involved in an engagement with German fighters during an afternoon patrol and had to make a forced landing at Middle Wallop airfield in Hampshire. Mitchell, who had encountered the enemy previously, had survived the day, but this was to be the last time, and he was soon to become one of the first of the few.
Born in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) on the 29th September 1910, the only son of Thomas Robert & Agnes Mitchell (nee Manners). His father was a Chemist by profession and was later to become a Director of Commercial Company General Stores. The family moved to a large home named “Graylands”, in The Broadway, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, and Gordon was first educated at Caldicott School in Hitchin. He later attended the Leys Public School in Cambridge, and it was here that he was to meet David Crook and Geoffrey Gaunt who were also both destined to be become part of “The Few” and who served with Gordon in No.609 Squadron.
Mitchell and Crook, in particular, were to become great friends and Crook describes him in his book “Spitfire Pilot” as a “Delightful person, a very amusing and charming companion, and one of the most generous people I ever knew, both as regards material matters and, more important still, in his outlook and views. He was a brilliant athlete, a Cambridge Hockey Blue and a Scottish International. It always used to delight me to watch Gordon playing any game whether Hockey, Tennis or Squash because he played with such natural ease and grace, the unmistakable sign of a first class athlete.”
In October 1929, Gordon became a student at Queens College Cambridge reading Economics and Law and also quickly became involved in the University Hockey team. This would lead to him becoming involved with the Scottish International team with whom he received his First cap against Ireland in 1930. In those days, unlike to-day, your links with another country had only to be tenuous in order for you to become a player in their International sporting teams, and this was the case with Mitchell.
The following year was to prove a busy one for Mitchell as he was to become firstly a Cambridge Hockey Blue and also Secretary of the Hockey Club. In addition he also managed to find time to complete his studies and gained a Third class Pass in Economics. In 1932 Gordon Mitchell became the Captain of the Cambridge Hockey Team and was also capped for Scotland against his native England. Again, as in 1931, he found time to complete his studies and gained a Third Class pass in Law, and then left Cambridge University in June 1932. Now described as a man of “independent means” it seems he spent the interim years working and travelling in the Far East but, with the clouds of war looming, opted to return home to England, where he wanted to learn to fly.
Gordon joined the Auxiliary Air Force on the 11th November 1938. A volunteer force that was primarily made up of young men with prominent and wealthy backgrounds, he was soon commissioned as a Pilot Officer into No.609 Squadron based at Yeadon (Leeds). On the 24th August 1939 he was called, along with many other Auxiliary Pilots, to full-time service, arriving at Yeadon on the 25th. However, on the 27th, No.609 moved to its first wartime station at Catterick, forty miles to the North, but Mitchell was left behind with several other pilots including Crook and Gaunt and another pilot ,who was to become a great friend of Mitchell’s, Michael Appleby.
They spent the next month at Yeadon during which they utilised their time playing games against the WAAF.’s who Crook says were chosen, “for their decorative, rather than athletic qualifications” but they did not perform any flying. Then, on the 7th October 1939, they were posted to No.6 Flying Training School at Little Rissington in Gloucestershire, and at last Mitchell was to get the chance to do some flying. The Flying Training School initially proved to be a rather unfriendly place where Mitchell and the others found themselves having to conform to regular RAF disciplines, including Parade at 07.45am. They also found it difficult, at first, for men in their late twenties to adjust to a system designed for eighteen and nineteen year-olds, but they worked hard and were soon to become one of the best courses the school had ever seen.
On the 4th May 1940 Mitchell re-joined No.609 Squadron at Drem in Scotland, along with Crook, Appleby and Gaunt. They spent the following two weeks “working up” on Spitfires. Then on the 19th May the squadron was posted to No.11 Group at Northolt in preparation for the Home Defence.
(L-R) David Crook, Michael Appleby, Phillip Barran and Gordon Mitchell
Mitchell’s first operational flight, on the 1st June 1940, proved to be a tragic one. He was flying as No.3 in a Section of Spitfires with two regular pilots who had joined No.609 from other Squadrons, Flying Officer Edge and Flying Officer Ian Bedford Nesbitt “Hack” Russell, an American. Whilst performing a patrol over the Dunkirk evacuation area Mitchell, whilst in a turn, became separated from the others. As Edge and Russell searched for their lost comrade they were attacked by a Bf110 and Russell was hit. Edge describes what happened as he searched for Mitchell , “I saw Hack, surrounded by bursting shells and tracer, pull up in a near vertical climb, then fall off in a stall and commence a long slow spiral into the sea. I followed him down till it was obvious he was not in control.” Edge was later credited with the destruction of Russell’s attacker.
On the morning of 13th June 1940, Winston Churchill flew to France in a vain attempt to persuade the French Government to carry on fighting. The De Havilland D.H.95 Flamingo in which he was being flown was escorted by nine Spitfires of No.609 Squadron, one of which was piloted by Gordon Mitchell. The Prime Ministers aircraft was far too slow for the sleek fighters and they had to keep breaking off in order to prevent their engines from overheating. Eventually, they landed at a rather unkempt grass landing strip and the pilots waited whilst the Prime Minister negotiated with the rather disinterested French statesmen. The pilots soon found themselves facing an overnight stay and, deprived of a night out in Paris, frequented a local Bistro which resulted in a substantial amount of local vino being consumed. Life seem filled with both excitement, fun and tragedy.
Final Flight
On the morning of 11th July 1940 “B” Flight took off from RAF Warmwell, a satellite airfield to Middle Wallop, following a report that a convoy was under attack from several enemy aircraft. The flight of five Spitfire’s consisted of Green Section, Bernard Little & Johnny Churchin, and Blue Section, Flight Lieutenant “Pip” Barran, Jarvis Blayney and Gordon Mitchell, who was flying Spitfire L1095. They reached a point, some 15 miles off of Portland Bill, where they found about nine JU87 “Stuka” dive bombers attacking several ships. Barran ordered Green section to cover the skies above whilst he led Blue section into the attack. Almost immediately, a Staffel (Squadron) of Messerschmit BF109 Fighters of 111/JG27 “bounced” the Spitfire’s from out of the sun. The first Green section knew of it was when Blayney saw tracer bullets surrounding his Spitfire and had to make a severe manoeuvre in order to avoid being hit, although he did manage to get a deflection shot in and destroyed one of the Stuka’s. Blayney had tried to warn the others but they may, in their excitement, have left their radios in the transmit mode and therefore would not have heard his desperate warning cry.
Within a few minutes Blayney found himself alone and began circling a burning ship, then he saw Barran’s Spitfire heading towards the coast, it was trailing vapour, the prop was slowly spinning to a halt and the canopy was open. Barran baled out and Blayney circled his position and radioed for help, not realising that Barran was badly burned and wounded. A rescue launch eventually reached him but shortly after being taken aboard he died from a combination of his burns, wounds and exposure.
The last anyone had seen of Gordon Mitchell was as he was diving into the attack, but he had been quickly shot down by Oberleutnant Max Dobislav. An extensive Air/Sea search failed to recover Mitchell’s body and he was presumed lost. Some days later his body was washed up on a beach at Brook on the Isle of Wight.
The location at Brook, Isle of Wight, where the body of Gordon Mitchell was washed ashore.
On Thursday 25th July 1940 David Crook travelled to Letchworth in the station ambulance with the body of his dear friend for the funeral. To-day Mitchells grave lies in the little church of St.Mary’s in Willian. The last resting place of one of the First of the Few.
His name is recorded on one of the plaques at Letchworth Railway Station listing the names of those who did not return to the Garden City. He was 29 years-old.
Postscript
Thirty years ago, as a fledgling and somewhat naive researcher, one of the most interesting aspects of my investigation into this story, is the fact I suddenly discovered not all veterans like to talk about their wartime experiences. Through the Battle of Britain Association I was able to contact Michael Appleby, one of Gordon Mitchells close friends. He wrote to me in July 1990, stating that he found writing “onerous”, and did not like talking about his life in 1940.
Given the high esteem in which these men were held, I was more than a little surprised that Michael did not really want to discuss his friends demise, but was happy in the knowledge that he had given me a little pointer, and I still have the copy of David Crook’s “Spitfire Pilot” in my library that Michael recommended.
Over the passing years, having met many veterans, studied thousands of books and documents, and read some very detailed personal accounts, my understanding of how these courageous young men helped to ensure our nation remained free during one of its darkest moments in history has expanded immensely, and I now not only appreciate their sacrifice but realise, given the intensity of life through the war years, why they could not bring themselves to talk about their lost comrades. Remember Them.
First of the Few to Fall – Pilot Officer Gordon Thomas Manners Mitchell. No.609 Squadron (AAF). Killed in Action on 11 July 1940 aged 29. Read his story here;
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In The Frontline 
Gordon was my Mother’s cousin and I remember a visit before I was five to see my Great Aunt at Greylands.
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