Albert Edward Evans

Albert was a 21-year-old labourer, born at Thoulga in Victoria, when he enlisted on 29 October 1915, at Cootamundra in New South Wales. His medical examination shows a young man who is 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall and weighs 163 lbs (74 kg). He had fair hair, hazel eyes and a fair complexion. He gave his religious denomination as Church of England. Albert was put on strength with the 1st Light Horse Regiment and given the Regimental Number 2183.

Albert’s service records are a mere eight pages long. The fifth page is a warrant for the arrest of Trooper Evans, who deserted from the 1st Light Horse Regiment on 1 February, 1916, at the Infantry Depot at Liverpool near Sydney. 

There is no other information provided in the record. A note, hastily written in pencil at the top of the warrant, states that it (the warrant) had been cancelled according to the Defence Act No. 12193 and had been dated 30 January, 1919. 

Nothing else is known of Albert’s story. However, a twist to the story was unearthed during research. When looking at the attestation records of men from the Upper Murray, we find two Albert Evanses. There is the story of Albert Evans above, and there is another Albert Evans (10979) who enlisted in the Field Company Engineers.

Both Alberts were 21 years of age. Both were recorded as being 5 feet 6 inches tall, of fair complexion, with hazel eyes and fair hair. One had his place of birth listed as Thougla, whilst the other had his listed as Corryong. Albert (2183) joined the 1st Light Horse on 29 October 1915 at Cootamundra, in New South Wales, but was recorded as having deserted in early February of 1916. Albert (10979) enlists in the 10th Field Company Engineers on 14 March 1916 at Tallangatta, Victoria.

A further link becomes apparent when the signatures of the two men are investigated.

When looking at the formation of the ‘A’ and ‘E’ and the spacing between the ‘a’ and ‘n’ in the surname, the two signatures look similar. That, along with the similarities in their physical descriptions, suggests that the two men are the same person. Albert (10979) married Doris on 25 April 1916 at St Luke’s Church of England, Wodonga. Their first child, Raymond, was born on 22 June of that year. Perhaps Albert’s (2183) leaving of the Light Horse in Sydney had something to do with his forthcoming marriage to Doris? 

Albert Edward Evans was born on 4 November 1894 in Corryong, Victoria, to Evan Robert and Ann Maria, nee Smith. Albert would be the eldest of six children.

If this is the case, we need to take Albert’s (10979) service record into account. Albert embarked on HMAT A54 Runic, departing from Melbourne on 20 June 1916, arriving in Plymouth, England on 10 August, 1916. Albert spent a week in a hospital in France with conjunctivitis before rejoining the 10th Field Company Engineers in the field. 

As a driver, Albert would have been busy doing numerous tasks in and around the front. The 10th Field Company Engineers' War Diary for April 1917 lists a number of jobs that would have been undertaken by Albert. These include: transporting materials, conveying sappers to various parts of the line, transporting heavy logs for the construction of a tramway, and salvaging materials from derelict gunpits.

In October of 1917, Albert was sent back to England and spent the next few months in a number of hospitals suffering from iritis of the right eye. Although he was eventually returned to his unit in France, this ailment would continue to plague him.

On 4 July 1919, Albert embarked on HMAT A18 Wiltshire and returned to Australia. He was discharged three months later and returned home to the Upper Murray.

Albert and Doris would have seven children during their marriage. When war broke out again twenty years later, he joined the CMF in 1939, enlisting at Corryong at 45. He passed away on 24 May 1952 in Corryong, Victoria, at the age of 57, and was buried in the Cudgewa Cemetery.

The Thursday, 3 July 1952 edition of the Corryong Courier and Walwa District News ran a short article about Albert's passing.

“The Late A.E. Evans

A staunch Cudgewa Football Club supporter, Mr. Albert E (Abbie) Evans died whilst witnessing an exciting football match at Corryong on May 24.

Mr. Evans, himself a footballer in his young days, has seen five of his sons strip with the Cudgewa team, and his love of the sport, and the interest he displayed in matches in which Cudgewa participated, placed him as one of Cudgewa’s most enthusiastic followers.

The deceased was the son of the late Mr. & Mrs. Evan Evans, his grandparents (Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Evans) being pioneers of the Cudgewa district. He was born at Thowlga 57 years ago, and settled at Cudgewa where he acquired a property.

He saw active service in the 1914-18 war as a member of the 10th Field Company Engineers.”