Part 67

=EMPSON, RICHARD WILLIAM HENRY MACARTNEY=, Lieut., Royal Marine L.I., elder _s._ of John Empson, of Knock-na-cree, Milborne Port, Somerset, M.D., late Surgeon North Somerset Yeomanry, by his wife, Esther Katherine, 2nd dau. of the Rev. Charles Morgan Watling, Rector of Upcerne, Dorset; _b._ Milborne Port, co. Somerset, 26 May, 1896; and was educ. at Connaught House, Weymouth, Marlborough College and Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He passed into the Royal Marines in June, 1913; served with them during the siege of Antwerp, also at Lille and Lierre, and was promoted Lieut. 17 Sept. 1914. He sailed for the Dardanelles, 27 Feb. 1915, and was killed in action, 1 May, 1915, at Gaba Tepe. He was mentioned in Sir Ian Hamilton’s Despatch of 22 Sept. 1915, and his commanding officer, Col. Luard, wrote: “The young officer in command, Lieut. Empson, displayed great gallantry up to the time when he was killed”; and in a further report, stated: “Lieut. Empson was wounded on 30 April, and continued to actively direct the defence of the trench until he was killed on 1 May, while delivering fire on the enemy at close range. I beg to recommend him for a posthumous honour for his services on 29 and 30 April,” Capt. Syson also wrote: “I cannot rate Lieut. Empson’s defence of his isolated trench too highly. From the reports of those who survived him, he never let there be any doubt as to his procedure should ammunition give out and the hundreds who were attacking them reach this trench. He upheld their courage and called forth the qualities which made them stand up to attack by day and by night, exist with little or no sleep, food or water, and face the fact that their chance of relief from outside was very small.” He played for the Royal Naval College in the Kent Cup Final in March, 1914. He was only 18, and was _unm._

=EMPTAGE, GEORGE WILLIAM=, Petty Officer, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 2960), 160112, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=ENFIELD, CHARLES JOHN=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 2781), S.S. 77, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=ENTWISTLE, BENJAMIN=, Pte., No. 5791, 2nd Battn. East Lancashire Regt.; was in the employ of Proctor Bros., Cotton Manufacturers, Wheatley Lane Mills, Burnley; enlisted, went to France, and was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, April, 1915; _unm._

=EPPS, WILLIAM JOHN=, Stoker, Petty Officer, 2nd Class C.G., (R.F.R., Ch. A. 1834), 154131, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=SWEET-ESCOTT, MURRAY ROBERTSON=, Lieut., 1st Battn. King’s Liverpool Regt., yr. _s._ of the Rev. Edward Herbert Sweet-Escott, of Hartrow Manor, Taunton, a Master of Dulwich College, S.E., by his wife, Anna Frances, dau. of Henry Robertson, of Over Stowey; _b._ Over Stowey, Bridgewater 14 Dec. 1887; educ. Dulwich College, and Marlborough; gazetted 2nd Lieut. 3rd Battn. King’s Liverpool Regt. (Special Reserve), in Dec. 1909, and, after a year’s training with the Irish Fusiliers, was promoted Lieut. 24 Feb. 1911. Three years later he was seconded for service as A.D.C. to Sir E. B. Sweet-Escott, K.C.M.G., the Governor of the Leeward Islands, and in the same year followed him in the same position to Fiji. He returned in the autumn of 1913, and on the outbreak of war at once volunteered for foreign service, being transferred to the 1st Battn. 5 Aug. 1914. He went with his battn. to the Front, and was killed in action on the Aisne, close to Missy and near the town of Brayne, 20 Sept. 1914, and was buried where he fell; _unm._ His commanding officer wrote: “Your son was killed while leading his platoon to repel a very heavy attack made on my battn. by six German battns.; and it was in great part due to the gallant behaviour of his company that we were eventually able to repel the attack. I cannot speak too highly of your son’s behaviour, and, although he had been with us so short a time, he had endeared himself to both officers and men.”

=ETHERTON, CHARLES EDWARD=, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 5096), 199736, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=ETHERTON, HENRY JOHN=, Private, R.M.L.I., Po./16052, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=EVANS, ALEXANDER EASSON=, C.E., Lieut., No. 2 Field Coy. Canadian R.E., _s._ of the Rev. Maurice John Evans; _b._ Stratford-on-Avon, co. Warwick, 6 Jan. 1872; educ. Herriott-Watt College, Edinburgh; went to Canada, and became a Civil Engineer; volunteered for service overseas on the outbreak of war, and enlisted in the 3rd Battn. in Oct. 1914; promoted Corpl.; left Victoria, British Columbia, for England, 14 Feb. 1915; trained at Shorncliffe, where he was drafted into the 7th Battn.; crossed to France the first week in May, and went straight up to the trenches; took part in the fighting at Festubert, 23–26 May, where he displayed great gallantry and was given a commission as Lieut. and posted to the Canadian Royal Engineers in Oct.; appointed Brigade Wiring Officer, and was shot by a sniper while attending to wire entanglements on the night of 5 Jan. 1916. His commanding officer wrote that he was mourned by all his brother officers as an efficient officer, and an unselfish comrade. Lieut. Evans _m._ at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1899, Ethel A. B. (_d._), 6th dau. of J. G. Fenwick, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and had two children: Maurice John, _b._ 3 May, 1900 and Helen Margaret, _b._ 2 Oct. 1902.

=EVANS, ARTHUR=, 2nd Lieut., 18th (Service) Battn. The Welsh Regt., only surviving _s._ of John Evans, of Broniarth, North Road, Aberystwyth, Solicitor, Coroner for North Cardiganshire and Deputy Town Clerk of Aberystwyth, by his wife, Jane, dau. of John Jones (Ivon), of Aberystwyth; _b._ Aberystwyth, 26 Feb. 1892; educ. Towyn County School, and on leaving there was articled to Mr. Bassett, A.R.I.B.A., Aberystwyth. On completing his articles he entered the service of Mr. Sydney Moss, F.R.I.B.A., Manchester, and gave promise of a successful career as an architect and land surveyor, but after the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914, he returned home, joined the University College of Wales (Aberystwyth) O.T.C. in Oct., and on 19 Feb. 1915, was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 18th Welsh Regt., then in training under Col. Homfray at Porthcawl, Glamorgan. On 31 March, 1915, he was thrown off a motor cycle while out riding with some brother officers near Porthcawl, and died the same day at King Edward VII Hospital (Bedford House), Cardiff; _unm._ He had been very eager to get to the Front, and his commanding officer wrote that he “had proved himself to be a very capable officer.”

=EVANS, EDWARD=, Private, No. 1682, 2nd Battn. Monmouthshire Regt. (T.F.), elder _s._ of the late Edward Evans, by his wife, Abigail (2, Gibson’s Steps, High Street, Pontypool); _b._ Cardiff, 27 Oct. 1897; educ. National School there; enlisted early in 1912, and was killed in action in France, 30 Dec. 1914. Capt. L. P. A. Rolls wrote: “Your son had been my servant ever since the beginning of Oct., when we were in Northampton, and had been with me till he met his death. I cannot tell you what a good willing lad he was in all that he did for me. He was killed like so many other--nobly doing his duty in the trenches.”

=EVANS, EDWARD FRANK=, S.B.A., M. 4751, H.M.S. Hawke, _s._ of Edward Evans, of 2, Clisby Cottages, Iver Lane, Cowley, co. Middlesex; lost when that ship was torpedoed in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.

=EVANS, HERBERT CLYDE=, B.A., LL.B., Barrister-at-Law, Lieut.-Commander, Nelson Battn. Royal Naval Division, yst. _s._ of the late John Thomas Evans, of Gisborne, New Zealand, shipowner, by his wife, Emma; _b._ Oamaru, N.Z., 26 April, 1883; educ. Gisborne (N.Z) High School; and was apprenticed in one of his father’s ships, and served eight years in the mercantile service. He was first officer in a ship in the service of the Russians during the Russo-Japanese War, and was at the fall of Port Arthur; he was wrecked near Siberia, where his eyesight was so injured by the frost that he had to relinquish the sea. He then entered St. John’s College, Cambridge, taking a second-class B.A. and second-class LL.B., and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple, June, 1914. On the outbreak of war he was appointed lecturer to officers by the Admiralty, and given a commission as Lieut.-Commander in the Royal Naval Division, 1 Oct. 1914. He left for the Dardanelles on 3 March, and was killed in action there, near Achi Baba, 5 June, 1915. Lieut.-Com. Evans was mentioned in Sir Ian Hamilton’s Despatches [London Gazette, 5 Nov. 1915], for gallant and distinguished service in the field. He _m._ at Fairwarp Church, Sussex, 25 March, 1913, Constance (Clevedon, Newick, Sussex), dau. of the Rev. George Whelpton Johnson, Vicar of Fairwarp, and had two daus.: Constance Joy Nelson, _b._ 7 Aug. 1914; and Grace Nina Clyde, _b._ posthumous, 9 Aug. 1915.

=EVANS, JAMES=, L.-Corpl., No. 12922, 11th (Service) Battn. Royal Scots, 5th _s._ of William Evans, of 19, Main Street, Thornliebank, near Glasgow, employee in the Thornliebank Calico Print Works, by his wife, Mary, dau. of Robert Williamson, Fireman; _b._ Thornliebank, afsd., 14 July, 1888; educ. Thornliebank Public School; worked for some time in the Thornliebank Calico Print Works, and was later a warehouseman in the employ of Cerebos, Ltd., Drysalters, Glasgow; enlisted, 31 Aug. 1914; and died in Field Lazarette 9, Bauvin, 29 Sept. 1915, of wounds received in action at Loos; _unm._

=EVANS, JAMES=, Able Seaman, Ch./167339 R.F.R.B. 3892, 2nd _s._ of James Evans, Coal Miner, by his wife, Annie Elizabeth; _b._ Ludgate, Durham, 3 Dec. 1875; educ. Sunderland; joined the Navy, 27 May, 1892; Boy, 2nd Class, H.M.S. Boscawen, 4 June, 1892–30 June, 1893; Boy, 1st Class, H.M.S. Boscawen, 1 July–2 Dec. 1893; Ordinary Seaman, H.M. Ships Pembroke, 3 Dec. 1893–8 Jan. 1894, and Sabellite, 9 Jan. 1894–30 April, 1896; A.B., H.M. ships Sabellite, 1 May, 1896–6 Aug. 1897; Pembroke, Aug. 1897–23 Feb. 1898; Wildfire, 24 Feb.–20 July, 1898; Pembroke, 21 July–9 Aug. 1898; Galatea, 10 Aug. 1898–10 April, 1899; Forte, 11 April, 1899–14 May, 1902; Pembroke, 15 May–26 Sept. 1902; Anson, 27 Sept. 1902–4, and Pembroke, 7 May–31 Dec. 1904, when he obtained his discharge with conduct “Very good.” Served in the Gambia, 1894, and through the South Africa War, 1899–25 June, 1900; landed for the protection of Durban, 24 Nov. 1899; took part in the operations with Natal Field Force, including the Battles of Botha’s Pass and Allman’s Nek and occupation of Utrecht, Volkorust and Wakestroom, and was awarded the Ashanti medal with clasp (Gambia, 1894), 21 March, 1896; the South African medal with five clasps (Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Laing’s Nek, Transvaal, Orange Free State), 1 Dec. 1902; and the Good Conduct medal. On leaving the Navy he entered the P. & O. service, but on mobilisation was called up, 5 Aug. 1914, and appointed to H.M.S. Cressy, in which he was lost when she was torpedoed in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914. He _m._ at St. Luke’s Church, Tidal Basin, 6 Jan. 1906, Annie Elizabeth (113, Jersey Road, Custom House, London), dau. of Alexander James George Tyler, and had four children: James George Alexander, _b._ 3 March, 1909; Annie Elizabeth Lilian, _b._ 16 Sept. 1910; Hilda Violet, _b._ 15 April, 1912; and Doris Ivy, _b._ 8 Aug. 1914.

=EVANS, JAMES WRIGHT=, Stoker, 2nd Class, K. 20456, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=EVANS, THOMAS HATFIELD=, Lieut., 3rd Battn. Australian Imperial Forces, only _s._ of the late Thomas Evans, of Huyton, by his wife, Alice Stewart (Honors Mead, Bovington, Herts), dau. of John Smyth Hatfield, of Innellan, Argyleshire; _b._ Huyton, co. Lancaster, 18 May, 1881; educ. Sedbergh; joined the Leicestershire Imperial Yeomanry when 18 on the outbreak of the South African War, and served through that campaign, 1899–1901, receiving the Queen’s medal with four clasps (Rhodesia, Cape Colony, Transvaal, South Africa). He went to Australia about May, 1913, but when war was declared in Aug 1914, he volunteered and joined the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force, and was given a commission as Lieut. 1 Jan. 1915. He was killed at Gaba Tepe during the landing at the Dardanelles, 26 April, 1915; _unm._ He was mentioned in Sir Ian Hamilton’s Despatch [London Gazette, 5 Aug. 1915], for gallant and distinguished conduct in the field. His commanding officer, Col. Owen, C.M.G., wrote: “On landing at Anzac Cove he showed great energy, courage and ability in the handling of his machine gun section, and notwithstanding the difficult country and absence of day transport, he had his gun in action at an early hour in the front line of defence, where he remained till he fell. It devolved on him to stop the firing of a machine gun of another battn. which was firing too close to our troops, and the ground was swept by a heavy rifle and machine gun fire. However, he safely returned, to my great relief. Later, whilst I was temporarily at another part of the firing line, the same gun again became dangerous, and a message reached your son to that effect from Major Brown, of my battn. Lieut. Evans again went over, and when returning stopped to succour a wounded man who had been left in the open. Having bound up the man’s wound, he tried to carry him back to safety, but was hit repeatedly. Though badly wounded he still tried to save his man, to the admiration of all those who saw his gallant conduct. An attempt was made by my men to rescue them, but your son was riddled with bullets and died a hero. I may mention that I recommended your son for the V.C. on account of his distinguished valour in the field, and his name is one of three in my battn. who were specially mentioned in Sir Ian Hamilton’s Despatches”; and one of his men (Private F. G. Hallett): “Your son was a man to be proud of, for he carried four wounded men to the stretcher-bearer station under heavy fire.” He also wrote: “We had to cross a deep gully which was infested with Turkish snipers. It seemed as if some of us would be killed, but we reached our destination without a single casualty, entirely owing to the cool and skilful way in which Lieut. Evans handled us. He was a fine example to us all.” Capt. White also wrote: “From all accounts by men near him he died a hero’s death. As a machine gunner himself he must have realised it was certain death that awaited him when he rushed to rescue a wounded comrade from a zone of bullets from one of the enemy’s machine guns.” Lieut. Evans was a keen sportsman and athlete, and exceptionally powerful swimmer and a first-class shot.

=EVANS, WILLIAM ALFRED=, Petty Officer, 199251, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=EVANS, WILLIAM HERBERT=, Major, 11th (Service) Battn. The Royal Scots, _s._ of James S. Evans, of Montreal, Canada; _b._ Montreal, 27 Feb. 1872; educ. there; was for some time a member of the Victoria Rifles, Montreal; afterwards served in the North-West Mounted Police for two years; on returning to Montreal joined the 5th Battn. Royal Scots of Canada, and subsequently took command of the Prince of Wales’ Fusiliers of Montreal. He served through the South African War, and on the outbreak of the European War, came over to England and was given a commission in the 11th (Service) Battn. of the Royal Scots, 22 Oct. 1914. He went to France, and was killed while in Billets, 14 Aug. 1915. He _m._ at Montreal, 19 Dec. 1894, May L. (791, University Street, Montreal, Canada), dau. of (--) Romeril, and had three children: William, _b._ 25 Dec. 1902; Enid, _b._ 17 Sept. 1895; and Doris, _b._ 17 Feb. 1898.

=EVANS, WILLIAM JAMES=, A.B., 221679, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

=EVASON, WILLIAM DODD=, A.B. (R.F.R., Ch. B. 1131), 162903, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=EVATT, GEORGE RALEIGH KERR=, Capt., 1st Battn. (57th Foot) Middlesex Regt., only _s._ of Surgeon-General George Joseph Hamilton Evatt, of Wayside, Camberley, co. Surrey, late of the Army Medical Staff, and Hon. Colonel of the Home Counties Division Territorial R.A.M.C., M.D., C.B., by his wife, Sophie Mary Frances, dau. of William Walter Raleigh Kerr, Treasurer of Mauritius, and granddau. of Major-Gen. Lord Robert Kerr [4th _s._ of William John, 5th Marquis of Lothian, K.T.]; _b._ Royal Military Academy, at Woolwich (where Surgeon-Gen. Evatt held the post of Medical Officer in Charge), 30 Sept. 1883; educ. Cheltenham College, and afterwards prepared by private tutor for University Matriculation. He entered the Middlesex Regt. as a University candidate 12 March, 1904, having passed through the necessary studies at St. John’s College, Cambridge, where his tutor was Sir Donald MacAlister, now principal of Glasgow University; was promoted Lieut. 9 May, 1906, and Capt. Sept. 1914. He served with the West African Frontier Force from April, 1909, to Dec. 1914, when he came home and rejoined his regiment. He was killed while in the trenches only 400 yards from the German lines, near La Boutillerie, about 3¼ miles south of Armentières, by a bullet in the temple, fired by a German sharp-shooter, 13 Nov. 1914, and was buried in the grounds of a private château near the trenches; _unm._ At the time of his death he was in command of A Coy. of the same battn. (57th Foot) in which his great-grandfather, Capt. John Hamilton Evatt, served at the battle of Albuera, in Spain, 1811, and who was severely wounded in that desperate fight. In the 301 years that have elapsed since the Evatt family passed over to Ireland in 1613 not less than 21 members of the family have served in the British army. While several were wounded, only two, however, were actually killed in action on the field of battle, viz., Capt. George R. K. Evatt, the subject of this notice, and Capt. Henry Evatt, of the 16th Lancers, who served in the revolutionary war in America (1775–7), and was eventually shot dead on the gate of Lord Moira’s House in the battle of Ballinahinch in 1798 by the Presbyterian rebels while serving with the Monaghan militia.

=EVERALL, EDWARD HENRY=, A.B., 233891, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=EWELL, LESLIE=, E.R.A., 1st Class, 269768, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=EWEN, ERNEST CECIL=, Ordinary Seaman, S.S. 4650, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

=EYERS, WILLIAM JAMES=, Leading Seaman (R.F.R., B. 4768), 195096, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

=EYKYN, GILBERT DAVIDSON PITT=, Capt. Royal Scots (Lothian Regt.), attached 4th Battn. Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regt., only _s._ of the late Rev. Pitt Eykyn, sometime Vicar of Magor-cum-Redwick, co. Monmouth, and at the time of his death Chaplain of Parel, Bombay, India, by his wife, Charlotte Elizabeth (82, Prince of Wales Mansions, Battersea Park, S.W.), dau. of James Davidson, Bengal Civil Service; _b._ France Lynch Parsonage, co. Glos., 22 Aug. 1881; educ. Haileybury College and Clayesmore School. He received his first commission in the 3rd Battn. Loyal North Lancashire Regt., 1899, was gazetted 2nd Lieut., 4th Battn. Manchester Regt., 4 May, 1901; was promoted Lieut., 24 Dec. 1901; transferred to Indian Army, 12 Feb. 1904; joined the Royal Scots, 4 Feb. 1905; was appointed Adjutant to the 4th Yorkshires (T.F.), 13 Feb. 1913, and promoted Capt. Royal Scots, 26 June following. He served for 11 years in India, and in the South African Campaign, taking part in the operations in the Orange River Colony and in the Transvaal, for which latter services he received the Queen’s medal with three clasps (Cape Colony, Wittenbergen and Transvaal). Capt. Eykyn fell in the first engagement of the 4th Yorks at the Second Battle of Ypres, after only a few days at the Front, while gallantly leading his regt. into action at the storming of St. Julien, 24 April, 1915, and was buried in a wood to the left of the reserve trenches. Col. Maurice Bell wrote to his wife: “Remember this, he trained the battn. and the General (Plumer) has personally thanked us for our behaviour at a critical moment. His is the credit”; and Corpl. Wearmouth: “It is only natural we looked up to our Adjutant, as he was responsible for all our training whilst at home, and naturally he having been through the African Campaign we followed him. The Adjutant never drew his revolver, all he thought about was the regt.’s first conduct under fire, and I am glad to say that we are mentioned in the General’s despatches, and it was all due to our Adjutant. The loss is being avenged, as every shot fired by our lads, they say as they pull the trigger ‘There’s one for the Adjutant.’” The following is an extract from the “Yorkshire Evening Post,” 29 April, 1915: “Capt. Eykyn was an ardent worker on behalf of the military forces long before the war broke out, and he addressed public meetings on the advantages of joining the service. He was also an amateur actor of considerable talent, and took part in playlets given on behalf of the National Service League.” The “Green Howards” Gazette for May, 1915, said: “The splendid work that he did as Adjutant has borne fruit in the gallantry displayed by the battn. in action, and the death of this fine young officer is deplored by all.” Capt. Eykyn had passed examinations in Hindustani and Russian, also as an Instructor of Gymnasia, and had obtained a D in Musketry. He _m._ at Bombay Cathedral, 28 Nov. 1902, Constance (The Cottage, Northallerton, co. Yorks), elder dau. of the late Arthur Norton, of Guildford, and had one son: Duncan Arthur Davidson, _b._ 11 Aug. 1906.

=EYRE, JOHN=, 2nd Yeoman of Signals (R.F.R., B. 425), 174716, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.