A confirmed 1st Battle of El-Alamein 8th Army Casualty Medal Group of 4: Private A. W. Mitchell, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles, South African Army

- The 1939-1945 Star. No clasp (75161 A. W. Mitchell)
- The Africa Star. With original '8th Army' clasp (75161 A. W. Mitchell)
- War Medal (75161 A. W. Mitchell)
- Africa Service Medal (75161 A. W. Mitchell)

Wounded-in-Action: Private Arthur Walter Mitchell, Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles, confirmed 'Wounded-in-Action' (shrapnel wounds to back) in the Western Desert at the 1st Battle of El-Alamein, 17 July 1942. His wounds were received when bombed / strafed by enemy Luftwaffe Ju.88 aircraft (extant service papers refer)

The Duke's at 1st El Alamein: When Rommel struck on 17 July, a composite battalion group containing two companies of the Dukes, commanded by Captain P. J. O'Sullivan and Captain D. A. H. Wells, was sent out on a diversionary operation, but ran into heavy shell fire from positions which were not expected to be strongly held. Sergeant E. W. Gush of the machine-gun detachment was mortally wounded and Private A. L. D. Kennedy and Private B. C. Stassen were killed. As the force withdrew at dusk more than twenty JU.88's flew over to bomb it. Company Sergeant Major E. G. B. Weston was killed, and the number of Dukes wounded that day rose to twenty three

Medals Verification: All 4 x medals and the '8th Army' Clasp are confirmed as entitled and issued, per the recipients extant service records

Arthur Walter Mitchell was a native of Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa, where he was born on, 16 March 1913. Prior to enlisting in the Union Defence Force, he had worked as accounts clerk before. Arthur enlisted on 20 May 1940, at which time he was posted to the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles. He saw service in Kenya, Italian Somaliland Abyssinia, Eritrea and Egypt and was wounded in action on 17 July 1942 with a shrapnel wound to the back. Recovering from his wounds, Arthur Mitchell spent time in 106 General Hospital until 17 August 1942. Several months later he embarked at Suez on 1 January 1943 and disembarked at Durban on 14 January 1943. He transferred to the South African Naval Forces on 14 April 1944 until 15 October 1945 and was discharged on the 19 October 1945. His medal entitlement is confirmed on his service papers

The medals all fitted with their original lengths of silk riband. Each riband now stitched and with 'safety-pin' on reverse and as-worn by the veteran recipient

Sold together with a hard-copy set of service papers

Condition: About EF

Code: 24772