D142366 Rifleman Eugene Robert Thomas was born in Oakville, Ontario, on 28 February 1925, the son of Godfrey Albert Thomas and Theresa Mitchell. When he was very young his mother divorced his father and remarried. He left school at 16 having completed Grade 7. His family were members of the United Church of Canada and he had one brother Vincent who also served overseas, and two sisters. He spoke and read English and Spanish.

Mitchell worked as a clerk in a Dominion grocery store when he enlisted in Montreal, Quebec, on 1 September 1943. He then trained at St Jean and Farnham, Quebec, and Debert, Nova Scotia.

He arrived in the United Kingdom on 12 April 1944 and in France on 13 June 1944. A week later he was posted to The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada and fought with them through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Rifleman Mitchell was killed in action in Germany on 3 March 1945. He is buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, grave reference VII. H. 3. His family had the following engraved on his marker:

IN THE VALLEY OF REST.
SOMEDAY, SOMETIME,
WE WILL MEET
OUR LOVED ONES THERE