Evans | Godfrey
Faces to graves
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Overloon, popularly known as the English cemetery, contains 281 graves. Each with its own story. In this report series, the Overloon War Chronicles Foundation highlights one such special story each time. This time grave number 13, section IV, row B. of
Godfrey Evans (1923-1944)
The coincidence factor
Biography
“Incidents like this makes one understand what we are fighting for.”
(Source: quote from Godfrey Evans’ letter to his parents and sisters)
Just waiting. Waiting for the Americans, the Lucky 7th, who are on their way from France to this village in The Netherlands to roll up that bridgehead in Venlo. And then they can finally enter Germany!
This morning’s small attack action takes place just a couple of miles away from here, so they all can hear the noise in this village. But in the village itself nothing’s happening on this 27th of September 1944, everybody hopes it stays that way.
Henry Godfrey Evans is born on Sunday 28 January 1923, in Swansea in Wales. He is the son of Leonard Evans (1892), originally from Hull (but his father was also from South Wales) and Gladys Beatrice Evans, maiden name Probert (1889). The family also consists of 2 daughters: Godfrey’s older sister Barbara is born on 21 June 1915 and his younger sister Marie is born on 18 March 1926.
Economically the 1920s and 1930s are bad years in Wales. While Wales was still an important supplier of copper, iron and coal to British industry in the period from the Industrial Revolution to the First World War, after the First World War Wales fell into a depression. The general economic downturn started in the industry and therefore fewer raw materials were needed. In addition, of the 273,000 men who left Wales for the front in France and Belgium in the First World War, 35,000 never returned. And because many Welsh unemployed people subsequently left the country in search of work elsewhere, the total Welsh population is still shrinking in the 1920s and 1930s. This depression will last until the Second World War. Nevertheless, at the same time Swansea remains an important industrial area.
The Evans family is a close family with a comfortable social life. They live in Glanbrydan Avenue in Swansea, near the beautiful coast and the children often go camping with groups of friends. Father Leonard is an insurance company manager. In the First World War he was a Captain in the army. Gladys is a skilled housewife. The children attend a private school and have a happy carefree childhood.
Godfrey starts a job at the Tinplate Conference, a producer of tin plates, in the period before the war. In his spare time he plays the piano and he does that quite well. In addition, he likes sports. He plays football, hockey, tennis and rugby. That also gives him a lot of stamina and a great physical condition which he can use well later on, in the army.
Because his carefree life changes radically when the Second World War breaks out. Then, as in all major cities in the United Kingdom, larger air raid shelters have already been built in Swansea. And across the country, private individuals are setting up their own Anderson shelter in their gardens, which is half buried underground with a thick layer of soil on top to provide safety for the family. In the period 27 June 1940 – 16 February 1943 the Luftwaffe carries out various air raids on Swansea, a strategically important city because of the harbor, the docks and a nearby large oil refinery. The Germans want to stop the production and the supply of coal, among other things. The most violent air raids on the city follow 3 days in a row on 19, 20 and 21 February 1941, the Swansea Blitz. Much of the city is destroyed. 230 people are killed and 409 injured. 7000 people lose their homes and belongings.
Godfrey is already active in the Home Guard, to be precise in the 12th Battalion Glamorgan Home Guard. His father Leonard was Captain in the British Army during the First World War and is now Captain in the Home Guard, No. 8 Company, 12th Battalion, Swansea. Barbara is the company orderly clerk for her father’s Home Guard battalion.
You can read how it continues in the full version of “Faces from the Past” below.
Photos
De foto’s van Godfrey Evans bereikten ons via Julie Smith, de dochter van Godfreys zus Marie, en Anna Sandbach, dochter van zus Barbara. Naast de foto’s ontving de stichting via Julie en Anna meer dan 50 brieven die Godfrey schreef aan zijn ouders en zussen vanaf begin 1944 (de startfase van zijn training) tot 22 september 1944, 5 dagen voor zijn dood op 27 september 1944. De inhoud van zijn brieven heeft als basis gediend voor dit dossier.
De stichting dankt ook Bob Rabone die op verzoek van de familie alle brieven en foto’s heeft gedigitaliseerd.
