Research

The Children's VC

Research

In George's footsteps

Researching George's life has been a real labour of love. From knowing relatively little other than snippets of information passed down through the generations, a full picture of his life has emerged during the course of research.

His home addresses throughout his life have been visited in London, Derby and Manchester as have the Somme battlefields around Montauban, Trones Wood and Guillemont.

Accounts of George's own actions and those of his Battalion and Brigade during July 1916 have been obtained, as well as details of his military service with the Scots Guards including during the Boer War, and his employment with Derby Police and the NSPCC.

Guillemont Road Military Cemetery looking towards Trones Wood

The former No Man's Land between Guillemont and Trones Wood over which George acted as a runner

During the course of my research, I stumbled across the remarkable coincidence that my two sons (two of George's four great-great-grandchildren) were attending the same school in Reigate, Surrey, in the same school years and in the same two classes as two siblings who are distant relatives of Capt. Noel Chavasse VC and Bar, MC.

George won his Victoria Cross and Capt. Chavasse won the first of his two Victoria Crosses within ten days and a matter of yards of one another on the Somme. Their VCs can be seen adjacent to one another in the Victoria Cross and George Cross Gallery of the Imperial War Museum, London.

This story was reported in the Surrey Mirror published in Reigate on 28th June 2007.

The Reigate relatives of George Evans & Noel Chavasse

It is my intention to complete a biography of my great grandfather which, if a publisher can be found, it is hoped would provide interest and enjoyment to many readers.