Edward Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans
The Lord Mountevans | |
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First World War
Naval Attaché to Norway (1940) Younger Brother of Trinity House |
Evans was seconded from the navy to the
After the expedition Evans toured the country giving lectures, and returned to his naval duties as a commander in the summer of 1914. He spent the
After four years at the Nore, Evans handed over command in early 1939, and was appointed Civil Defence Commissioner for London during the preparations for the
Early life
Edward Ratcliffe Garth Evans, known to his family and friends as "Teddy", was born in London on 28 October 1880, at a mews near Berkeley Square. He was the second of three sons born to Frank Evans and his wife Eliza, née McNulty.[2] Frank Evans, a young barrister at Lincoln's Inn, hailed from a large Lancashire family of Welsh descent; his father had been a provision merchant in Oldham. Eliza McNulty's family were of Irish origin and lived at Deptford.[3]
The family were respectably middle-class, but the three Evans children did not behave as respectably as might be expected; when Edward was nine, he and his brothers frequently roamed far into the East End, on one occasion being detained by the police after a theft. Edward and his older brother Joe were admitted to the Merchant Taylors' School in 1890, when he was ten, and were expelled for fighting and truancy a year later. He was then sent to a relatively modern school in the countryside near Croydon, which aimed to educate "troublesome boys";[4] despite being the youngest boy and often victimised and homesick, he enjoyed the rural environment and responded well to the teaching. He later attended a school in Maida Vale where he obtained high marks but slipped back into his old misbehaviour; the headmaster responded by making him a prefect, which shocked Evans into self-discipline. He became one of the school's star performers, with a string of prizes, before leaving at 14.[5]
Evans sought a career at sea, and while at school had tried, but failed, to obtain a cadetship with the Royal Navy training ship
As a Midshipman Evans was posted to the cruiser HMS Hawke in the Mediterranean in 1897, a ship noted for her immaculate presentation and strict conduct, which was not entirely to Evans' taste. In August he became seriously ill with brucellosis, after drinking contaminated milk, and was sent home to recover for three months. During this time, he gained a lasting fanaticism for physical fitness, walking forty or fifty miles in a day and swimming for hours in the sea; he would maintain this state of fitness for decades to come. After returning to duty, he was posted to the battleship HMS Repulse and then the sloop HMS Dolphin, following which he was examined and passed as a sub-lieutenant. He then studied at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, interrupted with a posting to HMS Majestic, where he first encountered then-Lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott.[7]
First Antarctic expedition, 1902–1904
In July 1901, the British National Antarctic Expedition – the "Discovery Expedition" – sailed from London aboard RRS Discovery, with Scott in command. Part of the planning for the expedition had provided for a relief ship to follow a year later, in case Discovery was lost in the Antarctic; on reading a newspaper article about this some months later, Evans saw an opportunity for adventure and wrote to Sir Clements Markham, the organising force behind the expedition. He met Markham twice in the following weeks, and made a strong impression. In early 1902, Evans was seconded from the Navy to be second officer aboard the relief ship, the SY Morning, an ageing ex-whaler.[8]
The Morning sailed from London in July 1902, and after a severe storm and a refit in
At the end of March 1903 the Morning was ordered to return, leaving supplies with the Discovery, still sealed in the ice. Several crew were exchanged, including Shackleton, who was considered not healthy enough to remain for the winter, though personal conflicts with Scott may have played a part in the decision. Once back in New Zealand, Evans applied for a temporary posting to
Shortly before sailing south for the second time, Evans' engagement to a New Zealand woman, Hilda Russell, had been announced. Hilda was the daughter of T. G. Russell, a prominent local solicitor, and the niece of G. W. Russell, one of the Members of Parliament for the Christchurch area.[14] Evans arrived back in Christchurch on 1 April 1904, and the couple were married on 13 April. They arrived back in England in October, where Evans was awarded the Bronze Polar Medal and rejoined the navy, specialising as a navigation officer. In 1907 he briefly considered applying to join Shackleton's Antarctic expedition, but decided instead that it was important to spend more time in his naval career, to avoid limiting his future prospects.[15]
Second Antarctic expedition, 1910–1913
In 1909, Evans finally succumbed to the lure of the Antarctic, and announced – with Markham's blessing – that he would organise an expedition to explore King Edward VII Land. He planned an expedition to the Pole, but as a secondary objective; "the circum-navigation of the great Antarctic continent appealed to me far more".[16] Evans initially sought support in Cardiff for a Welsh National Antarctic Expedition. Around the same time, Scott began planning a new expedition in response to Shackleton's recently completed Nimrod Expedition – the two were by this time rivals – and on hearing of this Evans abandoned his own project, transferring his funding and support to Scott. In return, Scott appointed him second-in-command. Evans brought so much Cardiff and Welsh sponsorship that Scott named Cardiff the home port of the expedition ship, Terra Nova and made Evans Captain. Despite this partnership, the two were never close, with the clash between Scott's reserve and Evans' openness accentuated by the difference in rank and age.[17] Scott later described Evans in his diary as carried by "boyish enthusiasms" and "well-meaning, but terribly slow to learn",[18] deeming that he was much more capable as a sailor than an explorer on land, and probably would never be suited to command his own expedition.[19]
The expedition landed on the west side of
In the event, the motor sledges failed to work as planned; the engines proved unreliable, frequently refusing to start until heated, or stopping after a short distance. The first broke down permanently on 30 October, five days after starting, and the second followed a day later. The four men reorganised their loads and pushed south pulling a single sledge with 740 pounds (340 kg) of equipment and supplies. They managed about the same speed as before the breakdown, and made the rendezvous six days ahead of the main party, who caught up with them on 21 November. Two of Evans' party (the motor mechanic and an assistant) returned north, and the Motor Party was reorganised as the "Man-hauling Party". with Evans leading Chief Stoker Lashly, Surgeon-Lieutenant Atkinson and C. S. Wright, a Canadian physicist. The group pushed onwards until 5 December, when they were halted by a blizzard for four days, working through their supplies but unable to press south. The remaining ponies from the main expedition had to be shot before moving on. On arriving at the Beardmore Glacier on 10 December, their route off the Barrier, the dog parties were also sent back, leaving the entire expedition to be man-hauled.[24]
At this point, the expedition was made up of three groups of four men, all man-hauling their sledges. However, two of the groups were relatively rested, whilst Evans and Lashly had been pulling a sledge since 1 November. This began to tell, with the group dropping behind and causing tensions with Scott, who grew frustrated and impatient with Evans' perceived carelessness and disorganisation.[25] On 20 December, the first supporting party turned back, leaving eight men to press onwards; Evans' team was reorganised comprising himself, Lieutenant Bowers, Lashly, and Petty Officer Crean. On 3 January, Scott announced that Evans would not continue to the Pole, but would take his team, the Last Supporting Party, back north. Evans privately attributed this to his physical exhaustion – he and Lashly had pulled a loaded sledge for six hundred miles by this stage – and recorded his reactions stoically, though Bowers described him as "frightfully cut up".[26] The groups parted emotionally on 4 January, and Evans, Lashly and Crean turned to head back, only 160 miles (260 km) from the Pole – Bowers had remained with the main party.[27]
The journey back was difficult, as until this point the sledges had been handled by four-man teams, and the reduction to three slowed them considerably. In an attempt to save several days, the party descended from the plateau by sledging several hundred feet down the deeply crevassed
On 13 February, Evans attempted to order them to abandon him, but they refused, in what Evans later called "the first and last time my orders as a naval officer were disobeyed".[32] They were finally forced to halt by a blizzard on 17 February, thirty-five miles from the base camp at Hut Point, when it became clear that the two men would no longer be able to pull the sledge. Lashly remained to look after Evans while Crean headed north; after walking for eighteen hours, he arrived at the hut where he met Atkinson with an assistant and a dog team. They headed south as soon as the weather cleared, finding Evans near to death, and carefully brought him back to the camp. He arrived there a few days before the Terra Nova returned, and he was returned to the ship to be nursed back to health. He remained bedridden until April, when he arrived in New Zealand.[33]
After meeting Amundsen, recently returned from the Pole, and being reunited with his wife, Evans headed back to England, where he spent the northern summer of 1912 recuperating and raising funds for the Expedition. There, he met King George V, who promoted him to the rank of commander. Returning south later in the year, Evans commanded the Terra Nova on its relief journey; it arrived at McMurdo Sound on 18 January, the anniversary of Scott's arrival at the Pole, to be greeted by the news of the polar party's death. Recording his "overwhelming sorrow" at the news, Evans assumed formal command of the expedition in lieu of Scott, and organised the final departure of the expedition from the continent.[34]
Evans' wife, Hilda, became ill with peritonitis on board the Oranto on 14 April 1913 whilst on her way to England with her husband after his return from Scott's second and fateful expedition. She was operated on by the ship's doctor on 15 April. Conscious when the ship reached Naples on the 17th she stayed on board but after setting back to sea, she died at midnight of 18 April.[35] Hilda was buried in Toulon, France. A memorial to Hilda Evans is to be found in Linwood Cemetery, Bromley, Christchurch, New Zealand at Block 46 Plot 205 – the Russell family grave.
In 1921 Evans published through Collins, a first hand account of the Terra Nova Expedition entitled South With Scott. Out of print for many years, the book attracted interest as the centenary of the Expedition approached and it was re-examined from a counter revisionist perspective, most notably by Karen May of the Scott Polar Institute.[clarification needed]
First World War
Following his Antarctic service, Evans had a successful naval career, serving at the outbreak of the
On 20 April 1917, while on night patrol of the
Evans married Norwegian Elsa Andvord in 1916, by whom he had two children: Richard Evans, 2nd Baron Mountevans (born 1918), and Cdr the Hon Edward Evans (born 1924), both of whom left children.[citation needed]
Inter-war service
While in command of
In February 1928 he was promoted to
Evans was advanced to
Second World War
Recalled in 1939, the following year Evans participated in the
Retirement
On 4 March 1947 Mountevans was on board a Norwegian vessel, MV Bolivar, when it broke in two and was wrecked on the
In 1947 Evans chaired a committee to formalise the rules of
Evans died in Norway on 20 August 1957 and was succeeded by his son Richard Evans, 2nd Baron Mountevans. He was buried in the family plot at the Vår Frelsers gravlund cemetery in Oslo.[citation needed]
Honours and awards
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Edward Evans received numerous honours and decorations for his Antarctic efforts, military service and for life-saving (given with
Companion of the
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (LG 10 May 1917, p. 4481)
Knight of Grace of the
Grande-Oficial of the
Commandeur of the Order of the Crown – Belgium (LG 8 Apr 1921, p. 2797)
Kommandør of the
Officier of the Legion of Honour – France (LG 20 Jul 1917, p. 7427)
Officier of the Order of Leopold – Belgium (LG 1 Jan 1917, p. 11)
Cavaliere of the Military Order of Savoy – Italy (1905)
Croix de Guerre – France (LG 22 Jun 1917, p. 6257)
Antarctic Polar Medal (Silver) (LG 25 Jul 1913, p. 5322)
Sea Gallantry Medal (1921).
He was made a Freeman of several municipalities: Calgary, Alberta, Canada (1914); Dover (1938); Chatham (1939); Kingston upon Thames (1945); the City of London (1945); and Chelsea (1945).[41]
Evans also received various awards: recognising the part he played at the Hong Moh disaster in the
for his part in expeditions: King Edward VII and King George V Medal
for Antarctic Exploration:
and, in academia: LLD
In popular culture
In the 1948 film
Publications
Works about Antarctica
Other works
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Children's literature
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See also
- History of Antarctica
- Cape Evans
- Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions
References
- ^ a b H. G. Thursfield, 'Evans, Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell, first Baron Mountevans (1880–1957)', rev. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2011.
- ^ www.burkespeerage.com
- ^ Pound, pp. 1–3.
- ^ Pound, p. 5.
- ^ Pound, pp. 3–8.
- ^ Pound, pp. 8–13.
- ^ Pound, pp. 14–19.
- ^ Pound, pp. 23–26.
- ^ Pound, pp. 29–32.
- ^ Pound, pp. 36–43.
- ^ "No. 27512". The London Gazette. 2 January 1903. p. 4.
- ^ Pound, pp. 45–51.
- ^ "Evans, Mount". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research.
- ^ "Fashionable Wedding". Press. 14 April 1904.
- ^ Pound, pp. 47, 51–53.
- ^ Evans (1946), p. 80.
- ^ Pound, pp. 53–56, 63–64.
- ^ Pound, p. 81.
- ^ Pound, pp. 81–2.
- ^ Pound, p. 72.
- ^ "Evans, Cape". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research.
- ^ Pound, pp. 72–80.
- ^ Pound, pp. 84–88.
- ^ Pound, pp. 89–97.
- ^ Pound, pp. 97–98.
- ^ Pound, p. 105.
- ^ Pound, pp. 101–107.
- ^ Pound, pp. 108–110.
- ^ Pound, pp. 111–115.
- ^ May, pp. 73–76.
- ^ May, p. 75.
- ^ Pound, p. 116.
- ^ Pound, pp. 116–119.
- ^ Pound, pp. 119–125.
- ^ "Death of Mrs Evans". Press. 4 June 1913.
- ^ "No. 37348". The London Gazette. 13 November 1945. p. 5535.
- ^ Bevand, Paul A. (2010). "Admiral Sir Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell Evans, Baron Mountevans of Chelsea". Royal Navy Flag Officers 1904–1945. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ^ "The Wreck of the Bolivar | National Maritime Museum of Ireland". Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ "Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat Station – RNLI Lifeboat Stations".
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019. p. 3735.
- ^ a b c Houtermann, Hans. "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945: J.H. Eaden to W.C.T. Eyres". Unit histories. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
Sources
- May, Karen (20 January 2012). "Could Captain Scott have been saved? Revisiting Scott's last expedition". S2CID 145297104.
- Lord Mountevans (1946). Adventurous life. London: Hutchinson.
- Pound, Reginald (1963). Evans of the Broke: a biography of Admiral Lord Mountevans KCB, DSO, LLD. London: Oxford University Press.
- Thursfield, H. G. (2004). "Evans, Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell, first Baron Mountevans (1880–1957)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/33036. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Woolven, Robin (2001). Civil Defence in London 1935–1945: the Formation and Implementation of the Policy for, and the Performance of, the Air Raid Precautions (later Civil Defence) Services in the London Region (PDF) (Thesis). King's College, London.
- ISBN 0-88184-478-0
- Evans, E. R. G. R. South With Scott Collins, London, 1921.
- ISBN 0-340-82697-5.
- ISBN 0-689-70701-0
- Preston, Diana: A First Rate Tragedy. ISBN 0-618-00201-4