No.306582, Sister (Lieutenant), Mollie EVERSHED
Aged 28
Mentioned in Despatches, King's Commendation for Brave Conduct
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Mollie Evershed was born on 14th August 1915 in Sussex (Battle Q3-1915 2B:70), daughter of Reginald Avery and Thora Margaret EVERSHED (née HICKS) Probate was for her mother and their address was 4 Owers Terrace, Bridge Street, Soham. In the 1939 register at 4 Ower's Terrace, Soham were her father Reginald A EVERSHED [11-9-1885] RAF Corporal, 284 Headquarters No 82 Wing; her mother Thora [19-10-1891] Eric Tricker [15-5-1906] Milk Recording Officer and his wife Margaret A [10-1-1012] ladies hairdesser (maid) and widow Louisa GRIFFIN [19-11-1862] |
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Mollie was lost on the HMHS "Amsterdam". HMHS."Amsterdam" was sunk on 7th August 1944 by a German mine, fifty-five wounded men were lost, ten medical
staff and thirty crew. Also eleven German prisoners of war. A total of 106 were lost. The hospital ship had been operating by anchoring off Caen, by "Juno" Beach, transferring
the wounded from the shore by L.C.A.(Landing Craft Assault) and ferrying them to Southampton. This Sunday morning the ship hit a mine, broke its back, and
went down in 8 minutes. From the Ely High School for Girls , school magazine July 195:- From the July 1945 issue of the School Magazine: All Old Girls who were contemporaries of Mollie Evershed will hear with great regret of her death at sea on 7th August 1944. Mollie was at the school in the years 1928-32. Afterwards she trained as a nurse at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. In 1943 she volunteered for the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Nursing Service. In August of last year, she was on a hospital ship full of wounded men. An explosion occurred and the ship began to sink but Mollie and the Matron succeeded in carrying up to the deck about seventy stretcher cases. Finally however, Mollie was trapped below deck and she went down with the ship. Practical, steady, and reliable, Mollie was always eager to help in any way. She was energetic, lively, full of fun and friendly and popular with everyone in the school, both Staff and girls. We, who knew her and remember her, were grieved to hear of the loss of a young life, so full of promise, but we are also very conscious and proud of the heroism, devotion and sacrifice which she showed in that hour of her supreme testing. We offer her parents, Flight-Sergeant R Evershed and Mrs Evershed, in their irreparable loss, the sympathy of all the members, past and present, of Ely High School. |
photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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