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Richard Howden MITCHELL (266137) was born in 1920 in Riverton, Southland. He worked as a telephone exchange operator before the war. He signed up in Trentham and trained as a gunner with the NZ Artillery. It appears he remained in New Zealand during the early stages of the war as part of the coastal defences - the 1943 Electoral Roll has him as a soldier living at Fort Takapuna, Auckland. He was posted overseas in late 1943, joining the NZ Division in Italy. After the war in Italy ended on 4 May 1945, with the surrender of the German forces to the New Zealanders in Trieste the NZ Division spent some time relaxing in Trieste before returning home in late 1945 or early 1946.
These photos, kindly provided by his daughter, tell of his overseas, his time in north Italy, Trieste, winter quarters at Lake Tracimeno, a "swanning" trip to the Dolomites and then his return home on the Dominion Monarch via Suez and Cairo.
Although Richard MITCHELL was not a member of the 22nd Battalion he was part of the New Zealand 2nd Division and his overseas experiences closely mirrored those of the Battalion. In Italy the Artillery worked closely with the infantry, perfecting the "stonk" whereby an infantry commander would radio to the nearest gun battery the coordinates of an enemy position and a few seconds later about nine rounds would land on the target, usually with the desired effect.
 "This is one that was taken during gunnery lecture" |
 Marching at camp - prbably Trentham. (Click on any photo for the full-sized version) |
 "RNZA opening Parliament, 1939" |
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 On board ship on the way to Egypt. The men dressed in add costumes and sitting on chairs suggests this was the traditional "crossing the line" ceremony when the ship crossed the Equator. |
 A crowd of small boats - probably Hong Kong or similar. |
 With kit bag over shoulder the men arrived in Italy - probably Taranto or Bari. |
There are very few photos of his early time in Italy, but the one dated 7 November 1943 was likely to have been his first action with the artillery.
 "Brand der Kieche in Golgzk, 7 November 1943". (This location is not recognised, but on that date the NZ Division was near Atessa in SE Italy, on its way to the battle of the Sangro River. The Division had just seen its first active engagement in Italy.) |
 "Pontoon bridge over Po" in northern Italy. |
 "Baillie Bridge over River Po, Italy 1944". |
 "Trieste Tedesco prisoners", probably taken 4 May 1945. (Tedesco is Italian for German.) |
There are several photographs of men, trucks and scenery in northern Italy. Most post-date the German surrender. Only a few have captions.
 Uncaptioned but probably Trieste after the surrender. Note a few men are carrying rifles. |
 "Via National Rome". |
 Hay making somewhere in Italy. |
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 "This is the truck I used to drive. When this was taken we were on our way down to a rest area after the Faenza show. (That's my bed on top)" |
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 "This is our present camp at Lake Trasimeno" |
 "Salerno" - near Naples. |
 "These are the boys I work with" |
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 "This is the truck we toured the Dolomites, North Italy in" |
 From the mountainous scenery this was probably taken on the Dolomites "swanning" trip. |
 Probably on the Dolomites trip. |
After the German surrender, the NZ Division had time for recreation in Trieste, despite the threat posed by the Jugoslav partisan force in their attempts to take over the city. A few miles north along the coast lies the intriguing castle of Miramare, captured by the 22nd Battalion on 2 May 1945. It became a favourite place to visit, alng with the nearby swimming baths at Barcola.Richard obviously enjoyed his time in Trieste, putting together a small album of photos of his time there. The photos have been hand-coloured, with varying degrees of success.
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One of these photos was labelled (Cruiser HMS Repulse taken from the Dominion Monarch on our way home. This was taken in the Suez Canal. The men likely spent some time in Cairo on their way back to New Zealand.
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 "Lemondade Vendor - But I wouldn't touch the stuff for quids" |
 "A couple of local beauties" |
 "Giza Pyramid" |
 "This will give you a idea of the size of the Mena Pyramid" |
 "Old Man Sphinx himself" |
 "Modern block of flats, Cairo. (They haven't got a lean on, the camera has)" |
 The ANZAC 1916-1918 Memorial at Port Said. The memorial was destroyed during the Suez riots in 1956. The remains were eventually transported to Australia and a replica is now at Albany, West Australia. |
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Last updated: 30 June 2025