Richard Evans

Private Richard Evans

Canadian Infantry, 52^nd Battalion

In February 1919, far from his adopted home in Canada, Private Richard Evans died while receiving treatment in England. He was buried at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Sketty, becoming the third serviceman laid to rest there after the Armistice of 1918. His grave does not bear a military headstone.

Family Background

Richard was born in Sketty, the son of Thomas Evans and Elizabeth (née ——). The couple married in the late 1880s and raised their family in the village.

1891 Census

The 1891 Census records the Evans family living at No. 4 Cae Bank, Sketty. Thomas, then 26, worked as a furnace man in the copper works, while Elizabeth, also 26, kept house. Their children at that time were Richard (3), Mary A. (1), and baby Thomas (2 months).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family was still at Cae Bank. Thomas, 47, was employed as a warehouseman at the copper works, and Elizabeth, also 47, managed a large household. Their children included Richard (24), working as a charge wheeler in the copper works; Mary Ann (21), employed as a market gardener’s shop assistant; Thomas (20), a mill worker in the copper works; Gladys (19); Mabel (15); Lillian (13); and Winifred (10). Also in residence was a boarder, Thomas Street (71), a widower and night watchman in a brick works.

Emigration and Enlistment

Sometime after 1911, Richard emigrated to Canada, settling in the small farming village of Glen Ewen, Saskatchewan. There, he worked as a farmer.

Attestation Papers

Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force Papers

On 20^th April 1916, he enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, giving his father, Thomas, as next of kin. His attestation papers give his date of birth as 5^th October 1899, though other military records list it as 5^th October 1889. Given the census records, the latter date is the more accurate.

Richard was assigned to the 52^nd Battalion (Canadian Infantry). Formed in 1914, the battalion served in many of the great battles of the First World War and was not disbanded until April 1920.

Death and Burial

Granville Canadian Specialist Hospital
Buxton, Derbyshire 

During his service, Richard was sent to Granville Canadian Specialist Hospital, Buxton, Derbyshire, which treated Canadian soldiers recovering from wounds and illness. It was there, on 26^th February 1919, that he died.

Richard Evans
Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard
credit - findagrave

His body was returned to Swansea, where he was buried in the chapel yard of Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, among his family and community.

Legacy

Private Richard Evans’s journey, from the copper works of Sketty to the fields of Saskatchewan and finally back home to Wales, is a story shared by many emigrant soldiers who left Britain to build a new life, only to return in wartime. Though his grave bears no military headstone, his service is remembered at Bethel.