129 Wellington Remembers 1914–1918 048 52837 Lance Corporal

Wellington Remembers 1914–1918 048 52837 Lance Corporal John Evans The Cheshire Regiment Born on 11 April 1896 in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire Lived in Coalbrookdale and King Street, Wellington, Shropshire Killed in action on 17 October 1916 aged 20 in France Remembered on the Thiepval Memorial; pier and face 3c & 4a His story John Evans was the youngest of five children born to John and Ellen Evans (née Cooke). The family lived in Rose Hill Row, Coalbrookdale, where John worked as a foreman pattern maker (someone who constructs the mould assembly in a metal works). John was born on 11 April 1896 and baptised on 3 June in the Wesleyan Methodist chapel at Coalbrookdale. He attended Adams’ Grammar School in Newport (now called Haberdashers’ Adams), by which time the family lived at 72 King Street, Wellington. By 1911 John’s father had progressed to being manager of a church and school furniture factory. This was most likely Addison & Co at Waterloo Works on Orleton Lane, near the railway bridge. John, his son, now aged 15, had a job as office boy in a motor works, possibly Sankeys at Hadley Castle. On 26 May 1915, John, now aged 19, went to the recruiting officer in Acton Park, Wrexham and signed on. He was attested and embodied into the 3/1st Shropshire Yeomanry on 26 May with his regimental number of 2529. It was noted that he was 5’ 4” tall, fit and weighed 116 lbs, and he gave his civilian occupation as clerk. The unit was based at Acton Park. On 6 December he was appointed unpaid lance corporal. After the heavy losses suffered during 1916 in the Battles of the Somme, the army sought replacements to bring the decimated battalions in France and Belgium back to operational strength. John was one of a number transferred to the 4th (Territorial Force) Reserve Battalion of the Cheshire Regiment. He was given a new number 52837 and was sent to Southampton on 11 August 1916 to embark for France, arriving at Rouen on 13 August. There he joined 1 Territorial Base Depot until 19 August when he proceeded to the 13th Battalion Cheshire Regiment. The battalion was in the 74th Brigade, part of 25th Division. The battalion was in Ovillers near Albert between 1 and 7 September before being taken out of the line to St Ouen between 13 and 25 September for training. 129 Wellington Remembers 1914–1918 It was back at Ovillers Post on 1 October and on 6 October moved into Hessian trench at Bouzincourt holding the front line, some 3 miles northwest of Albert on the Thiepval Ridge. Each day the war diary records casualties caused by artillery, machine gun or sniping. Between 6 and 13 October there were 26 men killed and 70 wounded. On 14 October the battalion was in reserve but still at Bouzincourt. Casualties were still being inflicted. Four men were wounded that day and a further four the following day. One of these was John but after treatment he was back on duty the same day. Just three days later, on 17 October, the war diary records two soldiers missing and states that they were ‘bombers’. Bombers were soldiers in each company who specialised in throwing bombs or grenades at the enemy, whose trenches were often within throwing or pitching range. The British grenade was the Mills bomb and bombers could hurl this egg-shaped device up to 35 yards. A specialised bomber would carry, in addition to his rifle and other equipment, 18 Mills bombs in a canvas bucket – see bottom left in the picture. The two soldiers reported missing had been killed; one was 49183 Lance Corporal Francis Patrick Rhodes formerly 2486 in 3/1st Shropshire Yeomanry and the other was Lance Corporal John Evans. No doubt they would have known each other for some time. They have no known graves. John’s British War Medal and Victory Medal were sent to his father, who also received his war gratuity of £5/10. When his father received his memorial scroll he wrote back How a bomber flings a to the authorities asking for it to be amended to record that Mills grenade John had also been in the Shropshire Yeomanry. In 1935 John’s father and brother Thomas were living next door to one another at 72 and 70 King Street, Wellington. By 1939 his father had died and Thomas remained at 70 King Street with his wife and two children. Notes: John Evan’s rank is recorded as a private on the CWGC site but his service papers state lance corporal. Acknowledgements: Canada at War for photograph. 130.

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