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1768722 Sgt  Evans V.W

The death of Sgt Evans is recorded on the Memorial Window inside the church at Chilton Foliat but his home is known to have been Woodbridge, Suffolk.  It seems likely that his family moved to Chilton or Littlecote to work on one of the estates in the area.  He was the son of John and Sarah Evans and the husband of Christine Eleanor.

Vernon Evans served with the Royal Artillery in the Burma campaign with 524 Battery of 55 Light Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Tank unit in the battles around Imphal.  In May 1944 heavy fighting had taken place, with the Devonshires suffering losses in the Japanese suicidal attacks in the battles around Imphal.  No quarter was given by either side, with the enemy dug into fox holes being killed by the advancing Devonshires.  The fox holes led to connecting tunnels and it was usual for the enemy to come out of one hole, throw a grenade into our troops, then go down another hole into the tunnel complex twenty to thirty feet below.  In an attempt to combat this, an artillery barrage would be fired into the hills before the infantry went forward, but there was still bloody fighting to capture these hills.

This was where 524 Battalion came to the aid of the infantry, adding close support to their advance.  Each allied attack was followed by an enemy counter-attack, again following an artillery barrage.  It was at the beginning of one of these artillery barrages on 18 May 1944 that a shell hit the bunker on Water Tower Hill near Shenam, 20 miles from Imphal, killing Brd Benson and Sgt Vernon Evans.

Sgt Evans is buried in the Imphal War Cemetery.

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Updated: 26.6.2011

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