Keith William Evans
From The Orange Wiki
EVANS, Keith William
Service no: 4776 [1]
Place of birth: Orange, 11 January 1887
Address: 27 Bathurst Street, Sydney
Occupation: Station hand
Next of kin: Madeline (Madge) Evans (sister), c/- HJR Mackey, Chemist, 345 Darling Street, Balmain
Date of enlistment: 25 November 1915
Place of enlistment: Casula
Age at enlistment: 22
Fate: Embarked HMAT A15 Star of England, Sydney, 8 March 1916. Taken on strength 56th Battalion, Serapeum, Egypt, 20 April 1916. Admitted to 8th Stationary Hospital, Wimereux, 12 July 1916. Discharged to Base Details, Boulogne, 13 July 1916. Rejoined battalion 16 August 1916. Attended Bomb School of Instruction 2 October 1916. Rejoined battalion 13 October 1916. Hospitalised 20 November 1916. Rejoined battalion 20 December 1916. Detached to 14th Brigade Mining Company 29 January 1917. Marched in to 5th Australian Divisional Base Depot, Etaples, 21 April 1917. Marched in to No 2 Command Depot, Weymouth, 2 May 1917. Admitted to Tidworth Military Hospital, 5 September 1917. Discharged from hospital 22 September 1917. Embarked, Southampton, for France, 10 November 1917. Killed in action, France, 18 July 1918.
Date of death: 18 July 1918
Buried: Franvillers Communal Cemetery Extension, France, Plot II, Row A, Grave 6
Born in Orange on 11 January 1887, Keith William Evans was the second of four children of William Cunningham Evans and Harriet Priscilla nee Mackey, who had married in Balmain in 1883.
Keith’s father, William, was a journalist who had purchased the Orange Advocate newspaper in 1878. The family moved to Sydney following the William’s bankruptcy in 1890. Keith’s mother Harriet died in Balmain in October 1903, and William less than three months later, in February 1904.
On 15 September 1908 Keith, aged 21 years, enlisted in the Australian Naval Force. He served for five years as a stoker, 2nd class, aboard the Pyramus. Keith returned to Sydney following his engagement and resumed work as a station hand.
In November 1915 Keith enlisted for service in WWI, doing so at Casula. He nominated his sister Madeline (aka Madge) as his next of kin. Keith embarked HMAT A15 Star of England in Sydney on 8 March 1916, a private in the 4th Battalion, 15th Reinforcement.
Private Evans was transferred to the 56th Battalion at Serapeum in Egypt in April 1916, before proceeding to France in July.
In October 1917 Keith attended the Bomb School of Instruction, and, in January 1917, was detached to 14th Brigade Mining Company.
In mid July 1918 the 56th Battalion was stationed hear Bray on the Somme, conducting patrols along the enemy wire checking for gaps. On 18 July Captain Williamson recorded in the battalion’s diary:
- The 55th Battalion relieved us tonight. It was a nasty wet night and the trenches were very sloppy.
- The relief was complete by 1.25am. Pte Evans, KW of B Company was killed. 3 other ranks were wounded.
The details surrounding Private Evans’ death are unknown.
Keith William Evans is commemorated on panel number 162 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Keith’s brother Vivian Herbert Evans also served in WWI; he returned to Australia in June 1919.