Rita Mitchell and Marion Mitchell

Born in 1918, Rita Hilda Mitchell (nee Yeomans) grew up in the Brixton area of London, England with her parents and younger sister Edna. In 1944 her mother died suddenly; as a result of this loss, Rita, her father and sister became very close. As a young woman, Rita worked in an electrical metre factory which was later converted into an ammunitions parts factory to support the war effort.

Rita met her future husband, Sgt. Reginald Mitchell, of The Irish Regiment of Canada - Canadian Army, while on holiday with her sister in the countryside near Aldershot, England. Reginald was based nearby, and they met at a dance and fell in love. As the war raged on, the couple endured long separations while Reg saw action in Italy and Holland. He survived the war and returned to England, where the two were married on April 14, 1945. Reginald and Rita we're delighted with the arrival of their daughter, Marion, on April 1, 1946.

Rita left England on the Queen Mary to join her husband and begin a new life in Canada. They arrived at Halifax's Pier 21 on August 12, 1946. Mother and daughter then travelled by train to the family's new home in Toronto.

Rita and Reg resided in East York and had two more children, Diane and Reginald Jr. Reg joined the East York police and went on to become a Sgt. with the Metro Toronto Police force. Reg passed away in 1971 and Rita in 1994.

Today, Marion resides in the Niagara region with her husband Bill. They have two children and four grandchildren nearby.