John Thomas Mitchell EM

b. 11/10/1878 Farnworth, Wigan, Lancashire.  d. 11/11/1954 Wigan, Lancashire.

DATE OF EM ACTION: 23/12/1911 Bamfurlong Mine, near Wigan, Lancashire.

John Thomas Mitchell was born in Farnworth, near Wigan, Lancashire on 11th October 1878. Little else is known about his parents and childhood, but he became a coal miner from a young age, working at the Bamfurlong Mine. On 19th January 1901, at St George’s, Wigan, he married Mary Ellen Corns. They had two children, Wilfred (born 1903) and Doris (born 1906). Following his heroism at Bamfurlong just before Christmas 1911, he decided to leave the industry, and in later life, he became a fruit salesman. He died aged 77 in November 1954 and was buried at Lower Ince Cemetery, Wigan.

 

EM CITATION:

On  the  23rd  December,  1911,  water  in  largequantities  broke  into  the  Bamfurlong   Mine,near  Wigan,  and  by  a  heavy  fall  of  earth  aparty  of  13 were  cut  off from  safety. Mitchell explored  the  roads  in  order  to  find  a  way ofreaching these men, though  his life was exposed to  constant  danger  in  consequence  of  the  continued  rise  of the  water. Finally he succeeded in  boring, a  passage  through  the  fall,  thereby rescuing all the  men who had  been cut  off.     In another  part  of  the  workings  Green,  who  had heard  of the  inundation,  went  down the  dip  toward  the  men  under  his  charge,  although  he met the  water  already rushing  down the  roads. In  doing  so,  he  acted  at  grave  risk  to  his life, and  it   was  two  hours  before  he  was  out  of danger.    He extricated  all his men. James  Green  has  since  died,  and  the  Medal will  be  given  to  his widow.

 

BURIAL LOCATION: LOWER INCE CEMETERY, WIGAN, LANCASHIRE. 

SECTION G GRAVE 260.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.