John Lewis Mitchell
{{Short description|Air Commodore & Pilot for Winston Churchill (1918–2016)}}
{{Other uses|John Mitchell (disambiguation){{!}}John Mitchell}}
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{{Infobox military person
|name=John Mitchell
|birth_date= 12 November 1918
|death_date= {{death date and age|2016|02|05|1918|11|11|df=y}}
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|birth_place= South Croydon, UK
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Air Commodore John Lewis Mitchell {{post-nominals|country=GBR|LVO|DFC|AFC}} (12 November 1918 – 5 February 2016) was a pilot who flew Winston Churchill around the world in his specially fitted aircraft, Ascalon.
Mitchell was born in South Croydon and educated at Bancroft's School. {{sfn|The Telegraph|2016|p=}}
During World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill had flown in RAF and civil aircraft but as the war intensified it was decided that he would fly in special plane codenamed, Ascalon, after the lance with which St George killed the dragon. {{sfn|Tickell|1964|p=}} {{sfn|The Times|2016|p=}}
Personal life
He married Brenda Stroud in 1943 and they had two sons.
References
{{Reflist}}
- {{cite web |last=The Telegraph|authorlink=The Daily Telegraph|date=February 11, 2016|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12152573/Air-Commodore-John-Mitchell-obituary.html|title =Air Commodore John Mitchell - obituary|publisher = The Daily Telegraph| access-date = July 30, 2019 |quote=}}
- {{cite book |last=Tickell|first=Jerrard | authorlink = Jerrard Tickell| title = Ascalon; the story of Sir Winston Churchill's wartime flights from 1943 to 1945, told by Jerrard Tickell and based on the records of Group Captain John Mitchell |year=1964| publisher = Hodder & Stoughton }} - Total pages: 128
- {{cite web |last=The Times|authorlink=The Times|date=February 24, 2016|url = https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/air-commodore-john-mitchell-032xxxx2p|title =Air Commodore John Mitchell|work = The Times| access-date = July 30, 2019 |quote=}}
External links
- [https://archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk/repositories/9/archival_objects/461323 Memoir by Air Commodore John L Mitchell "The diary of a navigator on the Prime Minister's private aircraft, 1943-5".]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, John Lewis}}
Category:Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order
Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Category:Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
[Category:Royal Air Force air commodores]]
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