Walter Evans, Age 29

Sapper, 157705, 179th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers.

Royal Engineers Cap Badge.

Waiter Evans was born in 1875 to Enoch and Emma Evans in Dawley, Shropshire, and later on moved to Chasetown. There had been an influx of miners & their families with the decline of the mines in Shropshire & the expansion of coal mining in the Cannock area at this time.

Walter's parents, Enoch and Emma Evans.

Walter was the eldest of five children; he had three brothers, Enoch, William & Joseph and one sister, Ethel May. The boys probably following in their father's footsteps down the local coal mines. Ethel would have probably gone into domestic service or as an assistant in one of the local shops.

Walter grew up, stayed in the area and married Eliza Benniston a local girl when he was 22 years of age on the 10th November 1897 in the Parish of Saint Anne’s Chasetown, his occupation was listed as a miner. Walter & Eliza went on to have nine children, eight girls, Ethel Maud, Lily, Elsie, Emma, Mary, Marian, Gladys and Clara and a boy Arthur Victor. They appeared on the Census returns as living at 2 Queen Street, Chasetown.

Walter (centre) with two of his brothers in Zion Methodist Chapel, High Street, Chasetown.

Walter was in the army by early 1916, he was 40 years old, too old for a new recruit in the infantry so with his mining background he was now 157705 Sapper Evans.W. in the 179th Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers.

On the 30th April 1916 he sent a postcard home, of a park in Southampton saying that he was leaving for France shortly, another card followed soon afterwards showing a ship the S.S. Virginian which would suggest that this was the vessel he went to France on.

The S.S.Virginian.

The 179th Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers was formed in Third Army area in October 1915 and moved into Thiepval-La Boisselle sector of the Somme recently taken over by the BEF. The 179th Tunnelling Company were responsible for the Lochnagar mine detonated on 1st July 1916 at La Boisselle on the Somme, the largest surviving crater today on what was the Western Front. The crater measures 300 feet in diameter & is 90 feet deep.

Lochnagar Crater.

The aim of the mining was to destroy large areas of enemy trenches and to disorientate the defenders. Mining warfare reached its zenith on 7th June 1917, when 19 huge British mines blew under the Messines Ridge near Ypres.

Unfortunately, Walter did not see this event as he was shot and fatally wounded on 5th June 1917 along with 136075 Corporal Frank Edden, also of the 179th Tunnelling Company. Waiter, aged 42 died from his wounds the following day and was buried in Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension (Nord), Row 3, Grave B244.

Walter's Headstone.

WWI Medal Rolls Index Card

Commonwealth War Graves
Buried Bailleul Communal Cemetery

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Victory Medal	British War Medal