Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Greatgrandfather of Fiona Webb

Additional Information:

Son of Francis Edward and Martha Ann Evans; husband of Eileen M. Evans, of 79, Salisbury St., Unley, South Australia. Native of Adelaide, South Australia.

War service: Western Front   Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

From Francois Berthout

Pte 3635 Francis Johnston Evans,
50th Australian Infantry Battalion, B Company,
13th Brigade, 4th Australian Division
 
On the fields of the Somme, solemn and silent, are sometimes heard the murmurs and the voices of young men behind the distant and ghostly echoes of bagpipes behind the sound of footsteps brushing in a breath the fields of poppies through which were shed the blood of a whole generation of heroes who, more than a hundred years ago, on these old battlefields, in the mud of the trenches and alongside their friends, their comrades, united, did their duty with bravery and conviction for their country and moved forward side by side under machine gun fire in the face of which they sacrificed their youth and together, for what was right, in the name of peace and freedom, gave their today, their lives, their everything,that is today remembered on their immaculate graves which stand like these young men, eternal and silent, united forever in the most beautiful camaraderie on these sacred grounds which were for them a hell on earth but which, today, under the poppies and the daffodils remind us of their innocence and their lost lives which, never forgotten, will always be remembered with the deepest respect with which I will always watch over them to bring them back to life, so that their faces, their dreams, their hopes and their names may live forever.

Today, it is with the utmost respect and with the deepest gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who gave his today for our tomorrow.I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 3635 Francis Johnston Evans who fought in the 50th Australian Infantry Battalion, B Company, 13th Brigade, 4th Australian Division, and who was killed in action 105 years ago, on March 5, 1918 at the age of 27 on the Somme front.

Francis Johnston Evans was born on May 17, 1890 in Parkside, South Australia, and was the son of Francis Edward Evans and Martha Ann Evans (née Johnston), of 79 Salisbury Street, Unley, South Australia. He was educated at Parkside Public School then after graduation, worked as a tram conductor. Shortly before the outbreak of the war, he married Eileen Mary Evans, had two children and lived together not far from the house of Francis's parents, at 77 Salisbury Street, Unley.

Francis enlisted on May 14, 1917 in Adelaide, South Australia, in the 50th Australian Infantry Battalion, 10th Reinforcement.The 50th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 26 February 1916 as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Approximately half of its recruits were veterans from the 10th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 10th, the 50th was predominantly composed of men from South Australia. The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division and was dubbed "Hurcombe's Hungry Half Hundred", after its first Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hurcombe.

After a training period of just over two months at Mitcham Army Camp, South Australia, Francis embarked with his unit from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A32 Themistocles on August 4, 1917 then, after a quick stop in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 2, arrived in England the next day and marched for Codford where he joined the 13th Training Battalion then three months later, on January 16, 1918, proceeded overseas for France.

On January 17, 1918, Francis finally arrived in France and was disembarked at Le Havre where he joined the Australian Infantry Base Depot, proceeded to join unit on January 17 and was taken on strength on January 19 in a sector of the front south east of Ypres , near a position known as "Shrewsbury Forest" where they relieved the 47th Australian Infantry Battalion and had the support of the 46th Australian Infantry Battalion on their right and the 7th Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry Regiment on their left.Here they suffered intense machine gun fire and enemy shells which caused serious damage to the lines of the 50th Battalion that men were daily employed to repair, fortify and improve but also faced and then repelled several enemy raids.Terribly tested, not only by enemy fire, they also fought against an unrelenting rain and had to drain the water which flooded the trenches and added to the discomfort, to the misfortunes of these brave men who never retreated then on the night of the 29th to January 30, were finally relieved by the 49th Australian Infantry Battalion and were positioned in support lines between "Larch Wood" and "Spoil Bank" near Ypres where they remained until February 7.

On February 8, 1918, Francis and the 50th Battalion marched to Ridgewood Camp, south of Ypres, which they were employed to drain and improve then built defenses against enemy airplane bombs, followed by a period of training including musketry exercises but also moments of entertainment such as concerts organized by the musicians of the battalion then on February 27, moved back for "Spoilbank" and arrived at the "Kemmel Shelters Camp", near Kemmel, Belgium the following day and placed in support of the other units of the 4th Australian Division in case of enemy attack but the sector remained calm and the men of the 50th had rest and hot baths. After that they were employed in defensive works near Lindenhoek and Ploegsteert until to March 10.

A little less than two weeks later, on March 21, 1918, in a last desperate attempt to break through the Allied lines before the massive arrival of American troops in the conflict, the Germans launched Operation Michael, also called the Spring Offensive whose one of the main objectives was to take the vital railway junction of Amiens and on 27 March the 50th Battalion was sent to the Somme and arrived at Forceville and then were deployed to defend positions south of the River Ancre to stop the kaiser's army.

On April 5, 1918, firmly positioned at Dernancourt, Francis and the men of the 50th Battalion faced one of the largest German attacks mounted against Australian troops during the war.

On the morning of 5 April 1918 on the battlefield of Dernancourt, a dense mist restricted visibility to 180 metres. The German bombardment descended at 7:00 am.Three German divisions attacked in line, with a division pitched at each of the 47th and 48th Battalions. In the mist, the Australian signal flares could not be seen, and therefore the artillery bombardment that could have shattered the assault was not fired.

The German 261st and 262nd Reserve Infantry Regiments had little success against the 48th Battalion.This was a mighty feat of arms; for one battalion to stop two whole regiments, with another regiment in reserve.The most vulnerable sector of the defensive line however was that held by the 47th Battalion opposite Dernancourt. Of necessity, it was only thinly held by widely spaced platoons. The first two attacks by the 230th Reserve Infantry Regiment against the 47th Battalion’s positions on the railway embankment were repulsed, but the third swarmed over the embankment on both sides. Due to folds in the ground, the mist, and smoke from the German bombardment, the penetration was not observed, and the Germans were able to pour through the gap in their hundreds. The first news of this was when men of the 47th Battalion reported that their right company had been wiped out.

When the Germans gained the 47th Battalion’s forward positions, they were able to enfilade the 52nd Battalion, and make their vulnerable positions untenable. They also got behind the 48th Battalion in strength, and the Australian front line had to withdraw to avoid capture. Some Australians were holding out, and others had been sent forward to reinforce the front line.The situation was confusing.

The 47th, 48th and 52nd Battalions were then told that the 49th Battalion would counter-attack, and that they should support it by fire and conform to its movements. The counter-attack commenced at 5:15 pm, with the 45th Battalion on the 49th Battalion’s left.The soldiers knew that the 4th Division was fighting with its back to the wall, and Charles Bean described this counter-attack as "one of the finest ever carried out by Australian troops".

Many of the counter-attackers were killed on leaving their trenches, and those who crossed the crest of the hill were met by machine gun fire, which one officer described as the heaviest he had ever known.They kept steadily on however until they were about 90 metres from their objective, when they charged with fixed bayonets.After hand-to-hand fighting, the enemy retreated in disorder, leaving behind prisoners and machine guns. Superior fighting qualities had told, and by 6:30 pm the Germans were in full flight. The counter-attack did not recapture the original positions down on the railway, but did recover the support lines. A German regimental history said "The enemy’s defence was so strong that a further advance was not to be thought of".

The assault against the two brigades of the 4th Division, including the 13th Brigade in which Francis fought at Dernancourt had been the strongest ever met by Australian troops, and given the necessarily dispersed defensive positions, was one of the most difficult to resist. Yet the Australians held, and the Germans were left with the bitter frustration that their strike against Amiens had failed. On 7 April the 12th Brigade was relieved and marched out. The Commanding Officer of the 48th Battalion noted, "It rained during the march, but the men marched well and sang most of the journey".

Unfortunately, it was during this fateful day of April 5, 1918 that Francis was killed in action, but thanks to his courage, his sacrifice and the sacrifices of his comrades during this terrible but decisive battle that the city of Amiens was saved.

After his death, Francis was first buried in a cemetery called "Point 106 British Cemetery" but after the war, he was exhumed and reburied with military honors at Ribemont Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, where he now rests in peace alongside his friends, comrades and brothers in arms and his grave bears the following inscription: "In loving memory of my dear husband.Lord have mercy on him.R.I.P".
Francis, young and proud, loyal and full of will, it was with courage and conviction that you answered, more than a hundred years ago, the call of duty to do what was right, to offer a tomorrow, a future to your children but also to all freedom-loving people,then, under your slouch hat, with your shoulders straight and your head held high, you walked towards France and the battlefields with in your heart, all the courage, determination and the will of the whole Australian nation whose sons showed themselves heroic through the poppies which their steps trampled behind the songs and the bugles, bearing on their young faces a smile and eyes full of hopes which turned towards an uncertain horizon and dark hours but, without fear, they moved forward to join their comrades in the muddy and tortuous trenches of the Somme which forever scarified landscapes and once peaceful valleys which, for four long years, became open-air slaughterhouses haunted by the howls of fury and pain of men who killed each other in appalling bloodbaths and who, rifles and bayonets in hand, were dragged towards madness and death in these putrid quagmires strewn with shell holes in which friends and enemies lived and fell.Among the rats, devoured by lice, torn by hunger, paralyzed by the fear of death that awaited them above the parapets, with nowhere to protect or hide from this hell of steel that fell on them for days and nights in mournful whistles, they nevertheless remained united and strong and held their positions, defended the front line with exemplary courage alongside their friends, their brothers, and in this endless night, in this despair of fire and flames, they watched over each other like brothers who shared the burden of war on their young and strong shoulders and found in this fraternity, in this camaraderie, a reason to fight beyond their commitment and in this war which was to put a an end to all war, they gave all they had because they knew the lives of their comrades and the future of the world depended on their courage and united, guided by the ANZAC spirit, they fought the good combat but were forever changed by what they saw and endured on those killing fields over which were heard the tears and suffering of their friends who, hours earlier had charged bayonets forward towards the enemy lines and in a last momentum, were stopped, riddled with shrapnel and bullets or crushed by artillery barrages, swept away without pity by the blast of explosions through which disappeared so many young boys who fell when they were in the prime of their lives that they gave with honor and pride for their country and,in a last breath, closed their eyes knowing that they had contributed to defend peace and freedom, to preserve our humanity.In the Somme, in Dernancourt, in Amiens, in Villers-Bretonneux, in Pozieres, alongside their French brothers in arms, united in an eternal friendship, the Diggers were in all battles, were always in the front line and served without fail and without them, France would have sunk forever into darkness but their smiles which remained forever in the hearts of the children of France, brought much more than what the Australians came to fight on these sacred grounds, they brought new light and sowed the seeds of hope, they gave us a tomorrow and a message of unity in which we must remain so that the world, so that our children will never know war again.Today, more than ever, I am proud and honored to watch over these young men who rest in peace next to each other in the silence of the cemeteries of the Somme. I feel proud to be one of the guardians of their memory and it is with dedication, respect, gratitude and the deepest love that I will always take care to perpetuate their stories so that they live forever and I will always carry in my heart, the deep friendship that unites Australia and France, not only during ANZAC Day but every day because for me, every day is a day of remembrance during which I hold, with all my heart to honor the memory of young Australian soldiers and their brothers in arms. Thank you so much Francis, for all you have done for my country and for all of us who owe you so much and who will be forever grateful to you.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.