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KSA Piper Scots Guards

£295.00

King’s South Africa, 2 bars, Piper Thomas “Tom” Mitchell, Scots Guards, Scotsman from Strichen Aberdeen, mysteriously found dead in the River Thames when stationed at Windsor in 1903.

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SKU: J9197 Category:
Origin: United Kingdom
Nearly Extremely Fine

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King’s South Africa, 2 bars, Piper Thomas “Tom” Mitchell, Scots Guards, mysteriously found drowned in the River Thames when stationed at Windsor in 1903. 

 

Officially impressed: “1354 Pte T. Mitchell. Scots Guards”

 

Confirmed on the medal roll, noted to have seen active service as a Piper during the Boer War, being listed with the official rank of private amongst the other bandsmen on the medal roll.

 

Also entitled to a matching QSA Medal with 5 bars, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast, Cape Colony.

 

Thomas Mitchell was born in the village of Strichen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

 

Thomas first worked as a Butcher and Warder in an Asylum whilst he was a part time Piper to the Strichen Volunteer Company.

 

On 29th March 1897 he signed on for full time service at Glasgow with the Scots Guards.

 

He joined the 2nd Scots Guards as a Private and shortly afterwards was appointed as a Piper on 1st April 1898 and again appointed on 15th March 1902.

 

After finishing out the Boer War, he returned back to Windsor, where the Scots Guards worked in peace to guard Windsor Castle.

 

One day, he mysteriously vanished after a search he was later found to have been drowned in the River Thames, it was never discovered how he got there.

 

The St James Gazette, 12th Feb 1903 recalls:

 

“TROUBLE IN THE SCOTS GUARDS

 

…Bearing on the statement that a number of the cots Guardsmen have deserted is the evidence at an inquest held at Datchet yesterday on Thomas Mitchell, a piper in the First Battalion, who had been missing for 3 weeks. 

 

An inquest had already been held at Windsor on Monday on another Guardsman, who after having been missing since New Years Day, was found in the Thames.

 

In the case of Mitchell, the evidence showed that the deceased was dismissed from parade on the evening of January 8th, when he left the barracks, and was not afterwards seen.

The Sergeant of the guard on duty that night deposed to being informed that Mitchell pass out of barracks, and was missing next morning.

Asked by the coroner if it was not a fact that that a number of privates had not returned to barracks, he replied that was so, but he could not say how many.

Deceased was a steady and sober man. Police Constable Bragginshaw said he found the body below Albert Bridge. The jury returned an open verdict.”

 

It was reported back home in his local Buchan Observer on 17th Feb 1903:

 

“STRANGE DEATH OF A STRICHEN SOLDIER

 

From a telegram received in Strichen on Monday night, it appears that body of the Guardsman found on 7th inst, in the Thames, near Windsor, is that of Piper Thomas Mitchell, 1st Scots Guards, a native of Strichen.

 

The Telegram was from the commanding officer, and was addressed to Mr J. Mitchell, an uncle of deceased. It is simply stated that the body had been found, and that n inquest was to be held on Wednesday.

 

This was the first intimation that anything was wrong, though Mitchell has evidently been missing for over 3 weeks.

 

Tom Mitchell was Piper to the Strichen Volunteer Company for a period, and after being a warder in an Asylum for some time, joined the Scots Guards.

With them he proceeded to South Africa on the outbreak of the late war, through the whole of which he passed without a wound or scarcely a days illness.

 

He was in Strichen on six weeks furlough in November last, and rejoined his regiment at Windsor about the middle of the following month.

 

Piper Mitchell was a great favourite with the young men of eight or nine years ago, and his mysterious death has been the subject of much discussion among his many friends in the district.”

 

The inquest in the Weekly Dispatch, 15th Feb 1903:

 

“A Scots Guardsman, Piper Thomas Mitchell, who had been missing for more than a month, was found in the Thames near Victoria Bridge, Windsor, on Monday. He left the barracks on January 7 with Private Davidson, and at the inquest before the coroner for South Bucks it was stated that Davidson also had disappeared, and the river was being dragged for his body.

 

Mitchell had no reason for committing suicide so far as was known. He was fairly well off, and had a banking account. The jury returned an open verdict.”

 

He was given a Military Funeral, the London Weekly Dispatch, 15th February 1903:

 

“Piper Mitchell, of the 1st Scots Guards, who was found drowned in the Thames, was buried at Windsor on Friday with full Military Honours.

Pipers from the various battalions of the regiment attended and played selections of music, including Flowers of the Forest, ther was a large attendance of the general public.”

 

The grand funeral was also recalled in the Southern Echo, 13th Feb 1903:

 

“PIPER MITCHELL’S FUNERAL

 

The Funeral of Piper Mitchell, 1st Scots Guards, whose body was found in the Thames at Datchet, took place today, and formed a most impressive scene, Pipers from other battalions of the Scots Guards attended, and nearly the whole battery followed the gun carriage conveying the body, which was covered with the Union Jack to Windsor Cemetery. The drums were covered in black, and the pipers played weird Scotch Funeral dirges as the procession marched slowly to the place of interment. Full Military Honours were awarded to the deceased, who was very popular with the Regiment.”