Trevor Mitchell – RAF Mustang/Typhoon pilot

Hi Colin,

I haven’t had time to check the dates but any chance he would have come through Bottisham when he was with 2 Squadron?

Thanks

Jason

Hi Jason,
Trevor ‘TED’ Mitchell was only ever at Bottisham with No.268 Squadron during the period 6-10 March 1943 when they deployed there as a part of Exercise Spartan. So he was based there very briefly and flew no operational sorties from Bottisham, only those connected with Spartan.

Regards,

Hi JMitchell.

I am in contact with Trevor’s daughter Amanda and in directly with Peter. Will get you a contact email address for Peter and PM you with details.

Regards,

Hi,

It sounds likely that Trevor Mitchell may have come through Bottisham. If anyone has any information that could confirm this I would very much appreciate it. We would love to put a display together at Bottisham dedicated to the men of the RAF who flew the early Mustangs and if any of Trevor’s family have any artefacts regarding this period of his career they may consider loaning or donating to the museum it would be of great help to us in telling the story of these brave men.

Many thanks

Jason Webb
Bottisham Airfield Museum

Hi,
I am Trevor Mitchell’s nephew – I came across the thread above by chance a short while back. I have just PM’s his son Peter – unfortunately we have lost touch (I am ashamed to say never really made touch! – we did start our lives on different continents ). If anybody does know anything more about Peter’s whereabouts, please do message me. The most important thing is that we found his Father’s medals when we cleared my own parent’s house (Trevor’s brother John) and I am certain that Peter would really appreciate it if we could pass them on to the rightful owner.
Hopefully
JMitchell

Hi Brendraia
I have been trying to trace Trevor Mitchell’s son or daughter as I have several letters written to my father who flew with him in No.2 Squadron which I would like to include in a book I am writing. If you know how I can get in touch I would be most grateful. I have tried a PM to him with no success.
Cheers Motherbird.

Trevor Eyre Drew Mitchell

Gentlemen,

Trevor Eyre Drew Mitchell passed just about the time that you were posting your comments on this site. He was in his late 80’s and had been my next door neighbour for approx 10 years. My husband and I had the honour of helping to look after him and his wife, Diana, in their later years. He was a most remarkable man who sadly, hid his light under a bushel. My husband spent many wonderful hours with Trevor talking cattle as well as spitfires. After the war, Trevor married Diana, an admiral’s daughter, and bought a tobacco farm in Rhodesia. He changed over to cattle, becoming the first to import Simmental from Switzeraland. He eventually owned 3 farms in Rhodesia and was head of the Simmental organisation there. Trevor and Diana adopted two children, Peter and Amanda. They returned to the UK in the early 1970’s because Trevor could see how Rhodeisa was going and did not want to keeping the children there. They gave up all their farms and possessions to return to England where Trevor went to work for the National Agricultural Centre. They settled at Wesley House which was a former Wesleyan Chapel, and remained there for the rest of their days. Diana passed away a year ago. Trevor was a gentleman right up until the very end. His children knew almost nothing of his background or history because Trevor never talked with them about the war. Upon his death, Diana and Peter found all of his “memorabilia” which had been hidden away along with his medals, the bulk of which they had no idea he had.

Thank you Colin, Doug and Denis for all that information.

I had a feeling he was called “Ted” but don’t recall anyone at work using that nickname. Delighted my memories about a possible film are right and will try to get to look at it soon.

Roger Smith.

Thanks for the speedy reply both. 🙂

One more piece of information crammed into the old skull.

Moggy

“Lagoon”

Hi Moggy,

A “Lagoon” was the follow on to a “Jim Crow”.

Essentially operational name for a shipping reconnaissance along the coast of Holland, usually just in sight of the coast, extending from the Frisian islands to the north to occasionally as far south as the Belgian/French border. Normally just as far south as ‘The Hook’ of Holland. Usually conducted by a pair of Mustangs flying at reasonably low level. Sometimes a foursome would go out together flying out to adjacent to a mid point on the Dutch coast, then one pair heading north and the other south so the entire coastline would be covered. Often would entail up to two or three sorties at various times of the day – just after dawn, around mid-day (but back in time for lunch) and late afternoon arriving back at base on dusk.

Depending on what was seen and reported, then Coastal Command would go out and conduct a shipping strike.

Was originally an Army Co-Operation Command name, one of a number of unique names they used for their sorties.

Regards,

Lagoon – Shipping reconnaissance operation off the Dutch coast

http://www.associations.rafinfo.org.uk/code_names.htm

“Lagoon”

That’s not an operational codeword I have heard before.

Anyone?

Moggy

Flt Lt TED Mitchell DFC

Denis,

Newsreel with Mustangs of No.II(AC) Sqdn is quite a distinct and different event to footage with No.268 Squadron. No.II(AC) Sqdn footage was taken much earlier at Sawbridgeworth, aircraft still carried squadron codes. No.268 Squadron footage taken later, aircraft did not carry squadron codes, only individual aircraft id codes, and full sequence filmed included Army Liaison Officer briefing pilots, pilots dispersing to planes, planes taking off, some intercut footage of aircraft guns firing (probably filmed with aircraft guns directed at gun butts) and pilot depressing gun button on control column (again probably filmed on the ground) with gun camera film, various targets including trains and barges being shot up, concluding with aircraft arriving back on ground. Alternative version includes shoot up of old buses and lorries set up as targets with Mustang – most likely flown by OC No.268 Squadron based on aircraft id letter – making LOW approach, popping up over a tree, returning to very low level and shooting up ‘targets’ before popping up over another tree and disappearing into distance. In the footage of pilots being briefed and dispersing a number of No.268 Squadron pilots can be clearly identified, including TED Mitchell.

Doug,

Passed through 41 OTU before being posted to No.171 Squadron (only for abouyt 2 to 3 months from what I can ascertain), then to No.268 Squadron. After leaving No.268 Squadron was posted to No.168 Squadron till late 1943, then on to 41OTU and an instructor until early 1944, then to HQ 35 (Recce) Wing Ops staff, then No.II(AC) Sqdn, then completed second tour of ops, briefly back to HQ 35 (Recce) Wing, then 84GSU, demobbed??

Recommendation for DFC is in the UK National Archives at Kew and gives greater details – but still uses fairly standard formula wording of the time.

The recommendation for the award of the DFC to F/O TED Mitchell stated:

Since he has been in the Squadron, this officer has taken part in the following operations. 12 Lagoons, 8 Rhubarbs, 7 Interceptor Patrols, 1 Diversion Sweep, 1 Air Sea Rescue, 3 Escorts. He has seen and reported 36,000 tons of shipping plus escorts. He has taken part in 8 Rhubarbs, including the Amersfoort raid, and on one occasion, attacked 11 locomotives in one sortie. He has also attacked many ships and barges, staff cars and railway stations. He has been in combat with FW.190’s and ME.109’s, and has always brought his information home safely.

The recommendation was signed by the Squadron Officer Commanding at the time of preparing the recommendation in mid-May 1943, Wing Commander Larry Ling, with covering remarks by G/C Lousada of 34 Wing.

Regards,

Hi Roger,
This is as much information that I can find.
Trevor Eyre Drew MITCHELL, 48740, RAF. Commissioned 27/5/42, on transfer from the Army, where he was a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery. Promoted to F/O, 27/11/42, and F/Lt, 27/5/44. DFC as F/O, with 268 Sqn, promulgated 16/7/43. No citation recorded, other than the general “For gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations.”
He resigned his commission on 6/8/46, retaining the war substantive rank of F/Lt.
Regards, Doug.

I know that short piece of film was taken at RAF Sawbridgeworth with II(AC) Squadron. 268 were also there.

Flt Lt TED Mitchell DFC

Hello Roger,

Trevor, also known as ‘TED’ (from his initials) or ‘Mitch’ (as an abbreviation of his surname) during his time with the RAF, served primarily as a Tactical Reconnaissance pilot. He was one of the early RAF pilots to fly the Allison engined Mustang on operations, participated in the fiming of a newsreel on the Mustang (copies held by the IWM and British Pathe – available online at British Pathe), a radio interview with a US journalist (still in the BBC archives and broadcast as an ‘extra’ to the radio play “Fair Stood the Winds for France” last year) and was around when the Typhoon was introduced into limited service as a fighter reconnaissance aircraft. Most of what he describes fits with his time on his first operational tour with No.268 Squadron RAF, and subsequent time with 35(Recce) Wing and other units within that Wing.

As far as I am aware, and other surviving Squadron members, Trevor passed on a few years back, from memory, early 1990’s.

If you want to find out more about Trevor’s RAF career, please contact me off board at cbfordATcyberoneDOTcomDOTau (usual substitutions).

Regards,