Hugh Mitchell (Royal Engineers)

Capt. Hugh Mitchell (3 December 1849 – 16 August 1937) was a Scottish member of the Royal Engineers who later became a barrister. In his youth he was a keen footballer who played for the Royal Engineers in the 1872 FA Cup Final and appeared for Scotland in two of the representative matches played against England in 1871 and 1872.

Mitchell was born in Marylebone, London, the son of Lieut. Col. Hugh Mitchell of the Madras army and his wife Jessie née McCaskill. He was educated at Harrow School between 1864 and 1867 before going to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. At Harrow, he was a keen sportsman, representing the school at football, cricket and shooting.

In 1878, he married Mary Catherine "Katie" Creswell, the sister of Col. Edmund Creswell who had played alongside him in the 1872 FA Cup Final. They had seven children, including Philip Euen Mitchell (1890–1964), who served as Governor of Uganda, Fiji and Kenya. Katie died in 1892 following the birth of her youngest child. Mitchell had always been "rather dour" and his wife's death was "an incurable loss and grief" to him; as a result, he became more withdrawn and was seen by his grandchildren as a "patriarchal and terrifying figure".

Mitchell played as a forward who was described as "a good charger and useful forward [who] sticks to the ball well". He was part of the Royal Engineers team who reached the final of the inaugural FA Cup tournament, scoring a goal in the semi-final replay over Crystal Palace. In the final, played at Kennington Oval on 16 March 1872, the Engineers were defeated by the Wanderers by a single goal, scored by Morton Betts.

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