“EVANS OF BROKE ”

Hokitika Guardian, 26 April 1929, Page 7

“EVANS OF BROKE ”

TO COMMAND AUSTRALIAN

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DEPARTURE FROM LONDON

HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER

.Many crowded hours'of glorious lif. go to make the story of Rear-Admira Edward R. G. It. Evans, who has lefi London to take command of the Australian Navy, in succession to RearAdmiral Hyde. When Rear-Admiral Evans was promoted to llag rank les than twelve months ago. he bccnim the youngest Admiral in the Roya 1 Navy, as he was its youngest commander in 1912. A* head of the Australian Navy he will fly his flag in th< cruiser Australia.

Tho son of Mr 'Frank Evans. ls:ir-rister-nt-law. of Cardiff, Edward Rndoliffo Garth Russell Evans, was horn in 1881 and educated at the MoreliaW Taylor’s School, London. JTe entered the Navv in 1897. and was promoter sub-lieutenant in 1000. His first connection with Antarctic exploration, with which his name will always hr associated, came in 11X12, when , he joined the Morning. relief ship to the Hey a I Geographical Society’s expedition ship Discovery, commanded by the late Captain Robert Falcon Scott. R.N, You Hi Evans was promoted lieutenant in the same veal*, and made two voyages in the Morning to the Antarctic, returning finally to Lyttelton on April 1/1904, in company with the Discovery and the Terra Nova. He married Hilda Beatrice, daughter of Mr T. G. Bussell, barrister, of Christchurch, and returning with his wife to England, lie resumed his naval duties.

SOUTH WITH SCOTT

In 1907 Lieutenant Evans was awarded tho Shadwell Testimonial Prize by the Board of Admiralty, and after serving in several warships lie joined the British Antarctic Expedition as second in command to Captain Scott in Octolier, 1909. He fitted out the Terra Nova and commanded her during the voyage to Lyttelton and the Antarctic, where lie landed as a member of the shore party.

On October 24, 1911, Evans left the base at C’ape Evans in charge of the advance guard of the Polar party, and he marched south with Scott for ovei ten weeks. It was originally intended that he should accompany his leader to the Pole, but his physical condition, impaired by his previous exertions, was such that S'eott decided to take Lieut. Bowers in his stead.

A RACE WITH DEATH.

On January 4. 1912, in latitude 87 cleg. 34min. south—'l46 miles from the South Tole, Lieut. Evans, with Chief Stoker William Laslily and Potty Officer Crcan, bade farewell to Scott, Wilson, Oates, Bowers, and Petty Officer Evans as they set out on the final stages of the tragic journey to the southward. Evans and his companions plodded steadily northwards day alter day, until on January 80, when they had nearly completed the descent of Ueardmore Glacier, it was found that Evans was suffering badly from scurvy. He carried on for another three weeks and then collapsed, after a continuous march of nearly 15..0 miles. Leaving Lashley to watch Evans, Clean set out alone and covered 85 miles in 18 hours in a howling gizzard to Hut Point, where he found Surgeon-Lieut. Atkinson and Dimitri Geroff, a Russian dog-driver. They went out and rescurcd Evans, who was nearly unconscious, and Laslily, and brought them safely in two days later. Evans was subsequently transferred to the Terra Nova and returned in her to Lyttleton. He subsequently went on to London, where he was received by the King, who specially promoted him commander and awarded the Albert Medal to Lasiily and Crcan.

Returning to the Antarctic, Commander Evans took command oi the expedition, when it was known that Scott and liis companions had perished on their return journey from the South Pole. When the expcd'iton returned to New Zealand, Commander Evans went back to England by mail steamer and liad the misfortune to lose his wife, who died at Toulon. He subsequently wound up tne affairs of the expedition and toured Europe and America on a lecture tour, which cleared the venture financially.

EARLY WAR DUTIES

The outbreak of war found Commander Evans serving in command of the destroyer Mohawk, which formed part of the Dover Strait patrol, and in which lie took part in several operations off the Belgian coast. In December, 1914 lie was transferred to the destroyer Viking, and a year later to the Crusader. In August, 1916, be took the new flotilla leader Seymour from Liverpool to Scapa Eiow, and then assumed command of the large destroyer Broke, which had survived the Battle of Jutland.

THE BROKE ACTION

Some eight months later occurred tlit* memorable action with which Evan’s name will always be associated. On the night of April 20, 1917, the Broke, in company with the Swift was patrolling the strait three miles off Dover when they fell in with six German destroyers, Evans promptly torpedoed GBS. and putting li is helm hard over, rammed (M2. Then ensued a desperate action in which the Broke sustained considerable damage anti 57 oausiinlties, including 23 killed. The two German destroyers were sunk and the others es-

raped in the darkness. For their serve es Evans, ol Broke, and Commander Pert, of Swift, were specially promoted to the rank of captain. While the Broke was,under repairs Captain Evans was sent to Queenstown of the staff of Admiral Sir Lewis Bay--I,v, to meet the first American destroyers which crossed the Atlantic to work with the British naval forces. In October, 1917, Captain Evans became Chief 1 ,sta;l' to \ ice-Admiral Sir Reginald jjaion, commanding the Do.er patrol. mile later he t ok command of the muscr Acme, in charge oi tile morcnaiit ship convoys from Gibraltar, anti had completed ins iweiltli convoy, wu.ii tile Armistice came.

A uAbiaN’J DEED

hi July, 191.9, Captain Evans was rippoiuten senior naval oilier on the oeig.iiii iv ust. and cleared the harbours there ol i>k)vK-.sh ( ips and other obstructions. In 1921 lie to* command ol liie light cruiser Carlisle, on the China station, and he had beon there a very short time when he perlormed a daring act which gained him further distinction. During a .strong ga.c his ship responded to a distress signal from the steamer Hong Aloh, which, with a large number of Chinese passengers on hoard, had struck a reef, it was impossible to launch the cruiser’s boats, so Captain Evans swam with a line to the steamer, and was thus the means of saving tho ship’s company, including 22S Chinese, from drowning. For this gallant deed, Captain Evans was awarded the Royal Humane Society’s silver medal, and a special gold medal struck by Lloyd’s—the first ever awarded. A BATTLE-CRUISER COMMAND. Ju 1923 Captain Evans returned from China to take command of the Fisheries Protection Patrol in the North Sea, and after three years’ service there lie was appointed in 1920 to the command of the battle-cruiser Repulse in the, Atlantic fleet, in which lie served until last September, when be went ashore for a senior officer’s course of special training. His promotion to Rear-Admiral at the early age of 47 years was the crowning of an extraordinary career. A MUCH DECORATED OFFICER.’

In 1.916, Rear-Admiral Evans married Elsa, eldest daughter of Mr Richard Andvord, a wealthy paper manufacturer, of Oslo (Christiana), Norway, and there are two sons of this marriage. Rear-Admiral Evans is one of the most decorated officers of the Royal Navy. He is a 1 Companion of the Order of the Bath find the Distinguished Service Order, an officer of the Legion of Honour (France), of the Order of Leopold (Belgium), and of the Order of the Tower and Sword (Portugal); a Commander of the Order of St. Olaf of Norway, of the Crown of Belgium. and of the Military Order of Savoy (Italy). He holds the Croix de Guerre of Belgium and of France, the King Edward . VTT. and King George V medals for Antarctic Exploration, the Medaiile Civique of Belgium, and is a Gold Medallist of the Royal Hungarian and Royal Belgian Geographical Societies, Livingstone Gold Medallist of me Royal Scottish Geographical Societies of the cities of Paris, Rouen, Marseilles, and Newcastle. He is also an honorary member of many geographical societies in Europe and America.