Alfred Frank Evans

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Alfred Frank Evans
AlfredEvans.jpg
Alfred Evans aged 19, 1906.
Born(1887-02-03)3 February 1887
Southampton, England, United Kingdom
Died1 February 1964(1964-02-01) (aged 76)
Southampton, England, UK
Occupation Seaman, Sailor
Known forTitanic survivor

Alfred Frank Evans (3 February 1887 – 1 February 1964) was a British sailor who worked as a lookout on board the ill-fated RMS Titanic. Evans was 25 at the time of the sinking of the ship. He, along with Fireman Frank Dymond, was put in charge of lifeboat 15, which was lowered away at around 1:40am.

British people citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies, and their descendants

The British people, or the Britons, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies. British nationality law governs modern British citizenship and nationality, which can be acquired, for instance, by descent from British nationals. When used in a historical context, "British" or "Britons" can refer to the Celtic Britons, the indigenous inhabitants of Great Britain and Brittany, whose surviving members are the modern Welsh people, Cornish people, and Bretons. It may also refer to citizens of the former British Empire.

Lookout person on a ship in charge of the observation of the sea for hazards

A lookout or look-out is a person on a ship in charge of the observation of the sea for hazards, other ships, land, etc. Lookouts report anything they see and or hear. When reporting contacts, lookouts give information such as, bearing of the object, which way the object is headed, target angles and position angles and what the contact is. Lookouts should be thoroughly familiar with the various types of distress signals they may encounter at sea.

RMS <i>Titanic</i> British transatlantic passenger liner, launched and foundered in 1912

RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it one of modern history's deadliest commercial marine disasters during peacetime. RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and was the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, chief naval architect of the shipyard at the time, died in the disaster.

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Early life and Titanic

Evans was born in Southampton, England, the son of Charles Evans and Elizabeth (née Russell). In July 1906, at age 19, he joined the Royal Naval Reserve. Prior to joining the crew of Titanic, he had served on board RMS Oceanic from October 1911 to March 1912.

Southampton City and unitary authority area in England

Southampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. It is 69 miles (111 km) south-west of London and 15 miles (24 km) west north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the confluence of the Rivers Test and Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area. The city, which is a unitary authority, has an estimated population of 253,651. The city's name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to "So'ton" or "Soton", and a resident of Southampton is called a Sotonian.

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Royal Naval Reserve volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom

The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve, created in 1859, and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), created in 1903. The Royal Naval Reserve has seen action in World War I, World War II, the Iraq War and Afghanistan.

On 14 April 1912, Evans and fellow lookout George Hogg were on duty during the 6pm—8pm shift and both were sleeping when the ship collided with the iceberg at 11:40pm. Both, along with other shipmates, rushed up to boat deck and both Evans and Hogg relieved Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee at the nest at 12am, about twenty minutes after the collision. They stayed there for a further twenty minutes and then went down to boat deck to help. Hogg was one of the first to leave Titanic on board lifeboat 7 which was lowered away at 12:45am. Meanwhile, Evans stayed on the ship, helping women and children to get onto lifeboats.

Iceberg A large piece of freshwater ice broken off a glacier or ice shelf and floating in open water

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Another name for iceberg is "ice mountain". Small bits of disintegrating icebergs are called "growlers" or "bergy bits".

Frederick Fleet British sailor

Frederick Fleet was a British sailor, crewman and survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic after it struck an iceberg on 14 April 1912. Alongside fellow lookout Reginald Lee, on duty, aboard the Titanic when the ship struck the iceberg, it was Fleet who first sighted the iceberg, ringing the bridge to proclaim, "Iceberg, right ahead!"

Reginald Lee Lookout and Survivor of R.M.S. Titanic

Reginald Robinson Lee was a lookout stationed in the crow's nest of the RMS Titanic when the ship collided with an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on 14 April 1912.

After awaiting further orders and wandering on deck, he received order from First Officer William McMaster Murdoch and Sixth Officer James Paul Moody to join the crew of lifeboat 15. The boat was lowered away at 1:40am and was picked by RMS Carpathia at around 7:20am. It was the second-to-last boat to be rescued by Carpathia.

William McMaster Murdoch British sailor

William McMaster Murdoch was a Scottish sailor who served as First Officer aboard the RMS Titanic. He was notable as the officer in charge when the Titanic collided with an iceberg. Mystery also surrounds his death.

James Paul Moody sailor

James Paul Moody was the Sixth Officer of the RMS Titanic and the only junior officer to die when the ship sank on her maiden voyage.

RMS <i>Carpathia</i> passenger steamship known for her role in the rescue of survivors from the RMS Titanic

RMS Carpathia was a Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson in their shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Later life

From September 1913 to April 1914, Evans worked in the Southampton dockyards, making several voyages with RMS Olympic. After the outbreak of the First World War, he was assigned to HMS Victory until his war service was demobilised in February 1919. He then received and was awarded with the Star and Clasp, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

RMS <i>Olympic</i> transatlantic ocean liner

RMS Olympic was a British transatlantic crossing ocean liner, the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of Olympic-class liners. Unlike the other ships in the class, Olympic had a long career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935. This included service as a troopship during the First World War, which gained her the nickname "Old Reliable". She returned to civilian service after the war and served successfully as an ocean liner throughout the 1920s and into the first half of the 1930s, although increased competition, and the slump in trade during the Great Depression after 1930, made her operation increasingly unprofitable.

HMS <i>Victory</i> First-rate 1765 ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is best known for her role as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.

1914–15 Star campaign medal of the British Empire

The 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915. The medal was never awarded singly and recipients also received the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Between 1920 and 1921, he worked for Harland & Wolff at the Southampton dockyards. In April 1921 he applied to rejoin the Royal Naval Reserve but was rejected due to health issues.

He continued to work at dockyards until a fall forced him to retire. He died in Southampton on 1 February 1964. He chose to never speak about the sinking of Titanic.

References

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