RootsChat.Com
General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: radnor1 on Tuesday 31 August 10 12:12 BST (UK)
-
I am trying to find out any information regarding John Evans. On the war memorial in Abbey Cwmhir Church (Radnorshire) it states that he died in the first world war and was serving in the First Herefordshire Regiment.
I have found him on the 1911 Census where it states that he was 25 and born in Church Stretton, Shropshire. So he would have been born in 1886 (+/-1)
He married Alice Ann George on 13th April 1910 in Abbey Cwmhir Church (Radnorshire). His fathers name was Thomas
I have asked everyone in the family but no one knows where he died or where he is buried.
Any help would be appreciated
-
Commonwealth Was Graves has 2 J Evans listed as killed with the Herefordshire Regt (both in 1st Battalion)
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=297739
http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=275040
Soldiers died in the Great War (SDGW) gives their details as :
Name: John Evans
Birth Place: Canon Pyon, Herefords
Residence: Bishop's Stone, Herefords
Death Date: 23 Jul 1918
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Hereford
Rank: A/L/Corporal
Regiment: Herefordshire Regiment
Battalion: 1/1st Battalion
Number: 235997
Type of Casualty: Killed in action
Name: Joseph Evans
Birth Place: All Saints, Hereford
Death Date: 1 Aug 1918
Death Location: France & Flanders
Enlistment Location: Hereford
Rank: Private
Regiment: Herefordshire Regiment
Battalion: 1/1st Battalion
Number: 236222
-
Medal card for John Evans gives his original number as 2960 and then later 235997.
Entered Gallipoli 9/8/1915. Awarded the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp
No service record or pension info appears to be online.
-
Thanks johnny_doyle
This information is a great help. I just need to find him on the 1901 census now.
Regards
-
Hi,
The John Evans discussed here as being born in Canon Pyon is my great uncle. He died near Soissons. It is not the same person as the one you are looking for, as he never married.
Sorry
-
Hi Puttock,
welcome to Rootschat.
Do you have any more info re your John Evans that might help with this conundrum e.g. any links to Abbey Cwmhir?
The CWGC entry shows the father as W Evans but radnor1 has indicated that the John Evan's from Church Stretton/Abbey Cwmhir is the son of a Thomas.
JD
-
Radnor1,
the memorial page for Abbey Cwmhir mentions that no info is known re Abraham Davies Wozencroft.
http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Radnorshire/Abbeycwmhir.html
His surname appears to have been Wozencraft and he died in 1916 serving with the Canadians rather than the RWF
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=322884&interval=20&&PHPSESSID=abgq2prnih62iuggkj43pt0ee7
The family are on the various census records as farming at Mynyddlys. Father William, mother Jane and a number of siblings.
-
Hi,
John Evans who is listed on CWGC born at Canon Pyon has no links to Radnorshire. In 1901 Census he is living in Canon Pyon with his parents, and in 1911 census is living in Bishopstone (Weobley) still with his parents William & Charlotte. I know he is my gt uncle as we have his medals, death plaque and scroll. His name and enlistment number match.
-
thanks for the update Puttock. Your John Evans is the only 1st Hereford casualty that I can see on CWGC/SDGW suggesting that the Abbey Cwmhir memorial tablet is wrong re unit (as is the case with Wozencraft) or that he was in 1st Herefords but transferred to another unit (there are 2 in this category I can find but they appear to have survived the war).
-
I have now confirmed that John Evans was not in the Hereford Regiment he was in the 1st/2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment. He was killed in action on the 23 February 1917. He was born in Hope Bowdler, Salop. His army number was Private 266739. If anyone has any more information about John Evans I would be very interested.
-
He didn't go overseas with the 1st. Batt. as they are not listed on his medal Roll.
Appears to have been a Territorial ( all Territorials were given a 6 digit number in 1917 )
Previously no. 4605.
Their war diary is on Ancestry if you have a sub.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01l3s/
The diary is excellent & states that on the 23rd. 3 men were killed & 2 wounded by shellfire all from A Coy.
This map in squares U.8. & U.14. digging trench mortar emplacements.
http://maps.nls.uk/view/101465176
The locations where A Coy. were working are marked in red.
Yellow is the road your man was on when the party were hit by an H.E. shell while on their way.
-
Thank you Jim1
This is very interesting to me and my family. I do not have a sub with Ancestry so cannot access the diary.
-
These are the relevant pages from the diary.
The Battalion had come up to relieve the 17th. Div. Pioneers on the 20th.
The 2nd. Monmouths were by this time also a Pioneer Battalion for the 29th. Div.
Just a bit of info re map.
Each square is 500 yds. The British trenches are blue & the Germans red.
You can see how close they are.
Today now the D1017:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01l3v/
-
Thank you so much jim1, this is most interesting