Gordon Leonard Evans
Gordon Leonard Evans – Civilian Casualty, Coventry Blitz, 1941
Early Life and Family
James Evans and Margaret Jenkins
marriage certificate
Parish Church of Llantwit Fardre
Gordon
Leonard Evans was born in 1911 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, the son of James
Evans and Margaret Jenkins, who had married in February 1905
at the Parish Church of Llantwit Fardre. The family later settled in
Gorseinon, where Gordon spent his early childhood.
1911 Census
The 1911
Census records the Evans family living at Pencasecrwn Road, Gorseinon.
James, then 35, was employed as a Colliery Repairer Underground,
while his wife Margaret, aged 31, was at home caring for their children.
Their household at this time included Lillie Ann (14), Levi Gethering
(6), Charlie James (4), Frankie Thomas (2), and the infant Gordon,
who was just three months old. A lodger, William Elliot, aged 52,
was also living with the family, reflecting the common practice of shared
accommodation in mining communities.
1921 Census
A decade
later, the family were still residing at Pencasecrwn Road. James, now 46,
was working as a Lampman Above Ground for the Swansea Navigation
Colliery, although he was out of work at the time. Margaret, recorded as 41,
continued to manage the home. Their older sons, Levi (16) and Charles
(14), were both employed as Collier’s Helpers, Levi at Swansea
Navigation Colliery and Charles at Grovesend Colliery. The younger children—Frank
(12), Leonard (10), Griffith (8), Kitty (6), and Jack
(4)—were all attending school, while the youngest, Creighton (2),
remained at home. The census paints a picture of a large working‑class mining
family typical of the period.
Marriage and Early Adulthood
1939 Register
In 1934,
Gordon married Phyllis A. Turner at Willesden, Middlesex. The 1939
Register shows Gordon living at 5 Barton Road, Coventry, where he
was employed as a Miller Machinist (Iron)—a skilled engineering role
closely tied to Coventry’s heavy industrial and wartime manufacturing sectors.
Death During the Coventry Blitz – April 1941
Gordon lost
his life during the bombing of Coventry at the Alvis Works on
Holyhead Road, one of the city’s most strategically important industrial
sites. The Alvis factory was a major producer of military vehicles, armoured
cars, and aircraft engines, making it a deliberate target for the
Luftwaffe. Hundreds of skilled workers, including Gordon, were employed there
to support Britain’s war effort.
Alvis Works – Industrial and Wartime Importance
The Alvis
Works, founded in 1919, had grown into one of Coventry’s premier
engineering firms by the outbreak of the Second World War. Known for its
precision engineering, the company produced high‑quality motor cars before
shifting almost entirely to military production in 1939. During the war, Alvis
manufactured armoured cars, aircraft engine components, and other
specialist military equipment. Its output was vital to the British Army and the
RAF, and the factory operated continuously to meet wartime demand.
The
Holyhead Road site was a large industrial complex containing machine shops,
foundries, assembly halls, and testing facilities. Skilled machinists like
Gordon were essential to maintaining production levels, and many workers were
exempt from military service because their engineering skills were considered
critical to national defence.
Because of
this strategic importance, the Alvis Works became a high‑priority target
for German bombers. Disrupting its output meant weakening Britain’s ability to
supply armoured units and aircraft—an objective central to the Luftwaffe’s
campaign against Coventry.
The April 1941 Raids
On the
night of 8th/9th April 1941, Coventry was
subjected to a large‑scale Luftwaffe air raid. Around 230 German
bombers attacked the city, dropping 315 tonnes of high explosives
and 25,000 incendiary bombs. The raid formed part of a sustained effort
to cripple Coventry’s industrial capacity, which had already suffered heavily
during the infamous raid of November 1940.
The
destruction across the city was extensive. The central police station
was hit, hampering emergency coordination. The Coventry & Warwickshire
Hospital suffered damage, complicating the treatment of the wounded. King
Henry VIII School and St Mary’s Hall were also struck. The most
significant architectural loss was Christ Church, which was almost
completely destroyed, leaving only its spire standing.
A second
raid followed on 10th/11th April, compounding the
devastation. Across the two nights, 451 people were killed and more than
700 seriously injured. Entire streets were reduced to rubble, and fires
burned throughout the city. The scale of the destruction prompted the Mayor of
Coventry, Alfred Robert Grindlay, to begin planning the early
reconstruction of the city centre even while the ruins were still smouldering.
The Attack on the Alvis Works
The Alvis
Works suffered severe damage during the raid. High‑explosive bombs struck
the factory buildings, collapsing workshops and destroying machinery. Fires
broke out across the site, fuelled by oil, metal shavings, and wooden
structures. Rescue efforts were extremely dangerous due to unstable roofs, live
electrical cables, burning fuel, and the risk of delayed‑action bombs.
Many
workers were killed instantly, while others were trapped beneath heavy
machinery and debris. Gordon was among those who died in the attack, one of
many industrial workers whose lives were lost while supporting Britain’s
wartime production.
Commemoration
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| Gordon Leonard Evans London Road Cemetery, Coventry credit - findagrave |
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