EVANS, Wilfred
| Service Number: | V159891 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance |
| Born: | Sydney New South Wales, Australia, 10 September 1889 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Medical practitioner |
| Died: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia , 20 July 1957, aged 67 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Bega Candelo Methodist Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 29 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Captain, 1st Australian General Hospital | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 1915: | Involvement Captain, 1st Australian General Hospital, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Karoola embarkation_ship_number: A63 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Jun 1915: | Embarked Captain, 1st Australian General Hospital, HMAT Karoola, Sydney | |
| 1 Sep 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Captain, 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance | |
| 20 Jun 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Major, 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance | |
| 18 Apr 1918: | Honoured Military Cross, Battles of Gaza , For Distinguished service and devotion to duty, especially during the second battle of Gaza on April 19th 1917. He did excellent work in charge of the Imperial Mounted Division Dressing Station in connection with a large number of wounded which passed through his hands. | |
| 23 May 1918: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, Battles of Gaza , Recommendation date: 19 April 1917, 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 76 (23 May 1918). | |
| 5 Apr 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Major, 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance | |
| 23 May 1919: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, Recommendation 19/4/1917 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 76 (23 May 1918) |
World War 2 Service
| 21 May 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, V159891 |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| Date unknown: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, Recommended 23/12/1918 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 113 (6 October 1919) | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Embarked Captain, 1st Australian General Hospital | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement Captain, 1st Australian General Hospital, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: '' embarkation_ship: '' embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From On This Day - Australian Military History
We remember Major Wilfred Evans, MC
Today we pause to remember the life and service of Major Wilfred Evans, who was born on the 10th of September 1889. Evans would serve throughout WWI and WWII as a medical officer and had a distinguished career, being Mentioned in Despatches three times and awarded the Military Cross during his service in WWI.
Wilfred Evans was born at Cooma, New South Wales, on 10 September 1889. After graduating top of his year with a degree in medicine from the University of Sydney in 1914 he practiced for a brief time at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown. Evans enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force on 29 May 1915. He departed Sydney with other reinforcements for the Australian Army Medical Corps aboard HMAT Karoola on 16 June 1915.
Originally posted to the 1st Australian General Hospital, Evans was soon transferred to the 3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance on Gallipoli. After the evacuation in December he served with the mounted troops until the end of the Middle East campaign.
During this time he treated the wounded as the Australian forces moved from Sinai into Palestine and later Transjordan. Evans wrote to his family at home throughout the war, describing the major battles of the campaign and the conditions on service.
By the end of the war he had distinguished himself as a brilliant physician and leader. By the end of the war Evans had been promoted to the rank of major and was Mentioned in Despatches on three occasions. He was also awarded the Military Cross for his work in charge of a dressing station dealing with the many wounded from the second battle of Gaza on 19 April 1917.
After returning to Australia in 1919 Evans married and continued to pursue his medical career during the interwar years. He once again joined the medical corps in the Second World War but declined overseas service, instead serving as Assistant Director-General of Medical Services in Melbourne. Wilfred Evans died in Sydney on 20 December 1957 after a brief illness.
Lest we forget.
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