Born on 20 January 1884, in London, Mitchell became an apprentice on the railways at age 14. After working for a firm of consulting engineers as a
draughtsman, he joined the engineering firm of
Fraser and Chalmers. His passion was sailing and in 1931 he became
Commodore of the
Royal Corinthian Yacht Club where he was responsible for completing the new clubhouse at
Burnham-on-Crouch. During the 1950s, Mitchell's business expanded rapidly enabling him to acquire a former
minesweeper and restore it. He instituted the
Finn Gold Cup for the
Finn Class of Sailing in 1956. In 1960, Mitchell together with J.S. Shapiro established
Rotorcraft, a business which developed the
Grasshopper series of
helicopters. Mitchell married Hilda Butcher in 1911, having two sons. Their eldest son
Roy was a sailor who competed in the 1960 Olympics later succeeding his father as chairman of Mitchell Engineering Ltd. Mitchell lived at Clopton Manor in
Northamptonshire. He died in hospital in Zurich, on 8 October 1962, aged 78. ==References==