George Mitchell (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel George Mitchell DSO
(1877–1939) was an Independent
Member of Parliament
for Wellington South in New Zealand
.
in the House of Representatives
from 1919 to 1922.
, who had won Wellington South in the previous year at a by-election.
Mounted Rifles in 1898. He served with the 1st and 8th New Zealand Contingents in South Africa 1899-1902. Mitchell was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal
with relief of Kimberley
, Paardeberg
, Driefontein, Transvaal and South Africa 1902 Clasps.
and France. He received the DSO
in 1918 for distinguished service in the field (France and Flanders). He was awarded the Serbian Order of Karageorge, 4th Class with Swords; 1914-15 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal; Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal; and NZ Territorial Service Medal.
He died 16 March 1939 in Wellington.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(1877–1939) was an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Wellington South in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Member of Parliament
George Mitchell represented the Wellington South electorateWellington South (New Zealand electorate)
Wellington South is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.-Population Centres:The electorate is in the southern suburbs of Wellington, New Zealand.-History:...
in the House of Representatives
New Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
from 1919 to 1922.
Independent
Mitchell was the sensation of the 1919 election defeating the Labour MP, Bob SempleBob Semple
Robert "Bob" Semple was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the first Labour Government of New Zealand....
, who had won Wellington South in the previous year at a by-election.
Boer War
George Mitchell was a member of the BalcluthaBalclutha, New Zealand
Balclutha is a town in Otago, it lies towards the end of the Clutha River on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is about halfway between Dunedin and Invercargill on the Main South Line railway, State Highway 1 and the Southern Scenic Route...
Mounted Rifles in 1898. He served with the 1st and 8th New Zealand Contingents in South Africa 1899-1902. Mitchell was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal
Queen's South Africa Medal
The Queen's South Africa Medal was awarded to military personnel who served in the Boer War in South Africa between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. Units from the British Army, Royal Navy, colonial forces who took part , civilians employed in official capacity and war correspondents...
with relief of Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
, Paardeberg
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near Paardeberg Drift on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free State near Kimberley....
, Driefontein, Transvaal and South Africa 1902 Clasps.
World War I
Mitchell was part of the 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1914–19. He was a major in the Southland Regiment and commanding officer of the 3rd Otago Reserve Battalion in 1917–19; reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mitchell saw action in GallipoliGallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
and France. He received the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in 1918 for distinguished service in the field (France and Flanders). He was awarded the Serbian Order of Karageorge, 4th Class with Swords; 1914-15 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal; Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal; and NZ Territorial Service Medal.
Community service
Mitchell was a member of the Wellington City Council (1923–25 and 1927–31), Wellington Harbour Board (1921–29) and Wellington College Board of Governors. He was President of the Returned Soldiers' Association (RSA) and an executive member of the War Relief Association.He died 16 March 1939 in Wellington.
Further reading
- Three Party Politics in New Zealand, 1911-1931 by Michael BassettMichael BassettMichael Edward Rainton Bassett, QSO is a former Labour Party member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and cabinet minister in the reformist fourth Labour government...
(1982, Historical Publications, Auckland) - New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984 by J.O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)
- Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament Edited by G.A. Wood (1996, Otago University Press, Dunedin)