Bobby Mitchell

Bobby Mitchell joined the famous Plaistow United SC, and by the time he was 17 had won County honours and was a member of the Essex team that would dominate the County Championship throughout the 1930s, winning it very year from 1933-39. He was also fortunate enough to play for Plaistow in the same period when they dominated the English Water Polo Championship, taking the title five years in succession 1935-39. A prolific goalscorer, Mitchell was a three-time Cambridge swimming and water polo Blue between 1933-35, and was captain in the latter year. He was educated at West Ham Secondary School before going to St. John’s College, Cambridge. In his three appearances against Oxford in the Varsity meeting, he was on the winning water polo team each team and was also the three-time winner of the 440 yards freestyle. An England international, Mitchell represented the British Universities in the 1500 metres at the International University Games at Budapest in 1935. Having represented Great Britain at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he then took part in the 1938 European Championships at Wembley, and in 1948 was one of four reserves for the Olympic water polo team, but never gained selection.

After World War II, Mitchell had a distinguished administrative career, having started as honorary secretary of Plaistow United in 1939, and became chairman of the committee controlling the Greater London ambulance and fire brigade services in the 1960s. Mitchell was appointed chairman of the Greater London Council in 1971 and held the post until the Council’s abolition In 1986. He stood as a Conservative party candidate for West Ham (South) at the 1964 and 1966 General Elections, but lost heavily both times to labour party stalwart Elywn Jones. Mitchell ran his own engineering company and was awarded the OBE. A portrait of him, painted by Irvine Halliday, hangs in London’s Guildhall Art Gallery