Vivian Herbert Evans

From The Orange Wiki

(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
(Created page with ''''EVANS, Vivian Herbert''' '''Service no:''' 5466 [http://soda.naa.gov.au/record/1910367/1] '''Place of birth:''' Orange, 1889 '''Address:''' Darling Street, Balmain '''O…')
 
Line 1: Line 1:
'''EVANS, Vivian Herbert'''
'''EVANS, Vivian Herbert'''
-
'''Service no:''' 5466 [http://soda.naa.gov.au/record/1910367/1]
+
'''Service no:''' 5466 [https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1910367]
'''Place of birth:''' Orange, 1889
'''Place of birth:''' Orange, 1889

Current revision as of 23:29, 2 January 2021

EVANS, Vivian Herbert

Service no: 5466 [1]

Place of birth: Orange, 1889

Address: Darling Street, Balmain

Occupation: Bookbinder

Next of kin: Nita Evans (sister), 337 Darling Street, Balmain

Date of enlistment: 12 July 1915

Place of enlistment: Warwick Farm

Age at enlistment: 26

Fate: Embarked HMAT A71 Nestor, Melbourne, 11 October 1915. Taken on strength 15th Field Artillery Brigade, Suez, 26 February 1916. Taken on strength 5th Divisional Ammunition Column, France, 9 July 1916. Taken on strength 14th Field Artillery Brigade 31 October 1916. Proceeded to UK on leave 14 August 1917. Rejoined unit, Belgium, 28 August 1917. Wounded in action, remained on duty, 2 May 1918. Proceeded to UK on leave 15 October 1918. Rejoined unit 3 November 1918. Embarked Wyreema for return to Australia 13 April 1919. Returned to Australia 3 June 1919. Discharged from AIF 26 July 1919.

Date of death: 5 October 1947, aged 58


Most soldiers who served in the First World War were hospitalised as a result of injuries received or due to illness. Many of those men were admitted to hospital on multiple occasions during the course of their military service.

Vivian Herbert Evans was clearly an exception. He served for a period of four years and was not hospitalised once during this time. He was, however, injured; on 2 May 1918. His service record states:

Wounded slightly and remaining at duty

Vivian’s brother, Keith William Evans, also served in WWI, and was not so fortunate. Keith was killed in action in France on 18 July 1918.

Born in Orange in 1889, Vivian was the third of four children of Advocate newspaper owner William Cunningham Evans and Harriet Priscilla nee Mackey. The family moved to Balmain following William’s bankruptcy in 1890.

At the time of his enlistment in July 1915 Vivian was working as a bookbinder for wholesale chemists Elliott Bros Ltd, with whom he had served a seven-year apprenticeship. Viv was known in Sydney musical circles as a gifted baritone singer.

Vivian embarked HMAT A71 Nestor in Melbourne on 11 October 1915. He was taken on strength with the 15th Field Artillery Brigade as a gunner in Suez in February 1916. Gunner Evans served in Egypt, France and Belgium for the duration of the war. During his service Vivian sang in impromptu concerts organised for soldiers’ relaxation and entertainment and he is reported to have appeared on English and French stages.

Gunner Evans returned to Australia in June 1919 and was discharged from the AIF the following month.

Vivian’s apparent good fortune did not continue in his post war life. In 1922 he married Nina Elizabeth Murden and their son Keith (presumably named after Vivian’s brother) was born the same year. In May 1923 nine month old Keith passed away in Royal North Shore Hospital. Just twelve months later Vivian became a widower when Nina died from pneumonia.

On 8 September 1928 Vivian married Margaret Kidd Miller at the Church of England in Drummoyne. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1935 following Margaret’s desertion of Vivian.

On 5 October 1947 Vivian passed away at a private hospital in Marrickville aged 58 years.

Vivian Herbert Evans is commemorated on St John’s Church of England Balmain Honour Roll.

Personal tools