32331, Private, Ernest William EVANS
Aged 32
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Born in Newmarket in Q4-1886 [Newmarket 3b:524] to John and Emily Edith EVANS (née LOVE), of Fern Cottages, Exning Road, Newmarket.
1891 census...Ernest Wm [4] was at Fern Cottages, Exning Road with his father John[31], groom born Wednesfield; his mother Edith Emily [28], born Higham; brother Thomas Sydney [4] and sister Mabille [1]. Children were all born in Newmarket. 1901 census...Ernest [14] an errand boy, was at 2 Mizpah Villas, Exning Road, Newmarket with his parents, sister Mabel and brother Frank,a painter, [19] who was not there on 1891 census and Thomas plus his aunt Jame LOVE. His father died in 1904. 1911 census...Ernest [23] a stableman, was at Mizpah Villas still, with his widowed mother, brother Frank Cecil and sister Mabel, plus a cousin Muriel Ivy EVANS. He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds. His entry in "Our Exning Heroes" reads "Born in Newmarket, 1886. Educated at St. Mary's Boys' School, and trained as a stablehand under Mr. George Blackwell. When war broke out he had been out of his apprenticeship about twelve months and was in Mr. C. Waugh's stables. He joined up in 1916, and was training in England for six months, going to France about May, 1917. He was on the Ypres front for some time, and met his death at Cambrai when the Germans advanced on that section at the beginning of the attack , March 22nd, 1918. He was in the South Lancashire Regiment." |
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The Battle of St Quentin, the German "Michael-Schlacht" started on 21st March 1918 when the German artillery fired 3.5 million shells into the British lines in 5 hours, the heaviest barrage
of the entire war. Reputably close to 1 million German troops began to surge forward. Trench warfare started to become mobile warfare again. German shock troops avoiding strong points to be .
mopped up later.The British forces were pushed back and on 22nd it was made worse by thick fog until mid afternoon. Whole battalions on both side were
virtually wiped out in the erratic fighting. Two British armies, the 3rd and 5th, were in danger of losing contact with each other, and the French entered the
battle on the southern edge. Everywhere the British were in retreat, at their worst in the centre of the line. The whole British front line had been very much
understrength and much of the defences had not been completed. Only the most heroic efforts and reinforcements from the New Zealand and Australian forces
managed to halt the Germans by the 5th of April. Only six of the South Lancashire's 85 dead that day have known graves. The rest are named on the Pozieres memorial |
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details