5332 Private John Barnes Evans [KIA]
20th Infantry Battalion,
5th Infantry Brigade,
2nd Division
1st Australian Imperial Force
1914-1919
This file last updated
30 December, 2023 11:15
Introduction
Portrait of John Evans in uniform
John Barnes Evans name appears on the Corryong War Memorial
John Evans was married when he enlisted in 1916 and it appears that there were 2 children of the marriage.
After initial training he was initially assigned to C Company of the 20th Battalion as a signaller, but was taken on strength of A Company of the Battalion on 13 Mar 1917. He was killed in action one month and two days later, on 15 May 1917. The circumstances of his death are confused and I expand on this below.
The Spring Offensive was an attack on a span of 16 miles [25Km] with a tactical advance by 14 divisions on a line from VIMY RIDGE to LAGNICOURT. The 5th and 6th Australian brigades were to attack BULLECOURT and RIENCOURT with the 7th Brigade in support.
I had hoped to gain some further information from the book "The Green and White Diamond" published much later by Neville Browning, but it states that he was shot during the advance to drive back a German break-through, going down a slope. I do not believe this to be the case.
Alternately, the Red Cross report contains written statements by seven men who all knew him and were able to recognise him and identify him without doubt. All state that as a signaller, he and a number of others were in a dugout or sunken road preparing to lay wire in support of the advancing Australians when it suffered a direct hit from what was described as a "5.9inch shell". This killed Evans as one of between three and five signallers. If they were in close proximity it may have been difficult to determine how many there were and who they were, although at least two state that they could see Evans' head was almost decapitated and recognised him.
They all state that his body, along with others, was buried about 400 yards south of LAGNICOURT, a service held by the Padre that afternoon and a cross erected with particulars on it. His record contains a note that he was "Buried".
The 20th Battalion was relieved by the 8th Battalion the next night and it moved back to VAULX-VRAYCOURT as the 5th Brigade's reserve battalion.
The cross and the grave site may have been destroyed in later fighting as it would appear that when the war finished his body, and, presumably those buried with him, was not recovered and he is commemorated at Villers Brettonneux, the Australian War Memorial and the regional war memorial at CORRYONG.
I have a special interest in John Evans because I am married to his grand-niece and my paternal grandfather, Albert Mitchell was a signaller in C Company of the 20th Battalion and an original member of the unit. He survived the war only to die of a brain tumour within 5 years of returning home. The likelihood that they may have met is made all the greater as they were both signallers for their respective companies of the 20th Battalion.
The following information and chronological table are a summary of the entries from the World War One service record of John Barnes Evans.
Prepared for Margaret Anne Wine, great-niece of John Evans by Clive Mitchell-Taylor - 30 Jun 2018.
John Evans' documents are:
- Service record;
- Embarkation Roll;
- Nominal Roll;
- Commonwealth War Graves Commemmorative Certificate His name located at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Index No M.R.26 Part II.;
- Corryong War Memorial at the Memorial Gardens, corner of Hansen and Donaldson streets, pictured above;
- Red Cross File with details of his death, identification and burial;
- See also the booklet Where Australians Rest which was issued by the Australian Government to the next-of-kin of those who died in the service of their country; and
- Roll of Honour details at the Australian War Memorial
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Abbreviations or acronyms which have a dotted underline can be expanded by moving the cursor over the term - e.g. WIA. The cursor will be replaced by ? and the expanded abbreviation will be displayed. This is gradually being incorporated into the site, replacing the the current expansion of abbreviations. There may be a discernable delay of about a second before the expansion is first provided.
There is also a separate list of abbreviations which is available through the menu at the top of this page or the hyperlink here. Abbreviations are inconsistent, even within a single occurence where a term is abbreviated.
There are a number of sources for tracing abbreviations used in Australian and New Zealand service records. Those used when operating with the British or US forces can generally be found, especially in World War 1. Abbreviations used solely within Australia in WW2 are most difficult to trace, particularly when they are regional. Sometimes a 'best guess' is the only answer.
Duplicated Pages
Some of the service information may appear to be duplicated although individual occurrences are not in the same order and different abbreviations used. This occurs when the unit and Army records are amalgamated upon discharge or death in Service.
Service Numbers
Service numbers in WW1 were unique to the unit (e.g. Battalion) or Corps (e.g. Artillery). In WW2 Service Numbers were unique to the State in which they were allotted. For further information about identity numbers for Service personnel, see Regimental and Service Numbers
Dates of Occurrence and Reporting
The date of reporting an incident may be hours, days or months after the date on which incident actually occurred.
The original service record is amended only when the incident is reported which means that events are not necessarily recorded in in strict chronological sequence. This is the date shown on the left of the page of the original record, and also on the left in my transcription but readers should note that at times there may be no date of reporting at all, particularly when service personel are repatriated for discharge at the end of hostilities.
To assist the reader, when transcribing the military record I have done my best to record events in their chronological sequence. This is date is on the right of the page of the original record and also on the right in my transcription.
For clarity I have transcribed all dates into the format d MMM yyyy.
Memorial Plaques
Memorial Plaque - Thomas James Shepherd
Image courtesy of Mark Franzi, grand nephew of Thomas
Memorial Plaques were issued after the First World War to the next-of-kin of all British Empire service personnel who were killed as a result of war.
The plaques are 120mm in diameter, were cast in bronze and came to be know as the "Dead Man's Penny" because of the similarity in appearance to the much smaller penny coin.
1,355,00 plaques were issued, which used a total of 450 tons of bronze. 1,500 plaques were issued to commemorate women.
Carter Preston's winning design includes an image of Brittania holding a trident and standing with a lion. The designer's initials, E.CR,P,, appear above the front paw. In her outstretched left hand Britannia holds an olive wreath above the ansate [handled] tablet bearing the deceased's name cast in raised letters. The name does not include rank since there was to be no distiction between sacrifices made by different individuals.
Below the name table, to the right of the lion is an oak spray with acorns. Two dolphins swim around Britannia, symbolizing Britain's sea power, and at the bottom is a second lion tearing apart the German eagle.
The reverse is blank and the plaques were issued in a pack with a commemorative scroll from King George V, although sometimes the letter and scroll arrived first.
Enlistment Details
|
Service Number |
5332 |
|
Name |
John Barnes Evans |
|
Born at |
Corryong, Parish of Corryong, County of Benambra, Victoria |
|
Age |
32 years 6 months as at 13 March 1916 (Birth dates not recorded, only age on enlistment) |
|
Trade or Calling |
Fitter |
|
Marital Status |
Married |
|
Next of Kin |
Wife - Audrey Valetta Grace Evans |
|
Previous Military Service |
No |
|
Attested at |
Royal Agricultural Show Grounds, NSW |
|
Date of Enlistment |
13 Mar 1916 |
|
Height |
5 foot 4 inches [162.5 cm] |
|
Weight |
130 pounds [59.1 Kg] |
|
Chest |
34-37½ inches [86.3 cm - 95.2 cm] |
|
Eyes |
Hazel |
|
Hair |
Brown |
|
Religious Denomination |
Methodist |
|
Units |
20th Battalion, 5th Brigade |
Chronological Events
|
Rank |
Description |
Date |
Remarks |
|
Private |
Enlisted |
23 Mar 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Assigned to C Company at Dubbo |
24 Mar 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Assigned to A Company 20th Battalion |
18 Apr 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Embarked on HMAT "WILTSHIRE (A18) for overseas |
22 Aug 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Disembarked Plymouth |
13 Oct 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Taken on Strength No 3 Command Depot, Woolwich |
13 Oct 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Marched out to 5th Training Battalion |
4 Nov 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Marched in to 5th Training Battalion |
4 Nov 1916 |
|
|
Private |
Proceeded overseas France from Folkestone, per "PRINCESS CLEMENTINE" |
17 Jan 1917 |
|
|
Private |
Marched in from England to 2nd Australian Division Base Depot (2 ADBD), Etaples, France |
17 Jan 1917 |
|
|
Private |
To Segregation Camp [Nature of illnesss not noted] |
12 Feb 1917 |
|
|
Private |
Marched out to 2 ADBD |
3 Mar 1917 |
|
|
Private |
Marched out to Unit from 2 ADBD |
3 Mar 1917 |
|
|
Private |
Taken on Strength 20th Battalion from 14th Reinforcements |
13 Mar 1917 |
|
|
Private |
Killed in Action |
15 Apr 1917 |
After having been in the Battalion for 33 days |
|
Private |
Daily Statement (Military) awards, from 9 July 1917: |
9 Aug 1917 |
Note error in daughter's surname. |
|
Private |
AIF Kit Store records effects of Pte JB Evans being shipped to Mrs A.V.G. Evans per "EURIPEDES": |
Undated |
|
|
Private |
Base Records Office, Victoria Barracks Melbourne forwards effects to Audrey Barnes |
31 Oct 1917 |
|
|
Private |
Effects received and consignment note signed by Audrey V.G. Evans. |
Dec 1917 |
Medals and Dress Embellishments
British War Medal 1914-1920 and Victory Medal, not entitled to 1914-15 Star.
Not entitled to wear the ANZAC 'A'.
No Wound Stripes.
One Long Service Stripes and two Overseas Service Chevrons.
Use the hyperlinks or scroll down to see further information on the badges.
Background - Infantry Battalions
[Based on information in Redcoats to Cams, Ian Kuring.]
In December 1914, battalions of about 1000 men were organised into eight companies each divided into half of 60 men and then into two sections of around 30 men. Command was highly centralised with companies commanded by a Captain, half-companies by Lieutentants and sections by a Sergeant.
In early 1915 Australia reduced the number of Companies to four, but doubled their size to more than 220 men. Each rifle company had a headquarters and four platoons. Each platoon had a headquarters and four rifle sections of 10 men commanded by corporals.
From early 1916 light machineguns replaced medium machine guns and were eventually issued to each rifle platoon.
During 1917 rifle platoons were reorganised to have a light machine gun section, a rifle grenade section, a hand grenade/bombing section and a rifle assault section.
By mid 1918, the number of officers had increased to 38 but the number of other ranks had declined to 900. At the same time, the firepower of the battalion was greatly augmented with hand and rifle grenades and Lewis Guns, of which there was 34 per battalion.
Rifle, Small Magazine Lee-Enfield .303in, Mark III with sword bayonet
20th Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Divison
[Information from https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au]
20TH INFANTRY BATTALION
NOT ENTITLED TO WEAR ANZAC 'A'
The 20th Battalion was raised at Liverpool in New South Wales in March 1915 as part of the 5th Brigade. A sprinkling of the 20th's original recruits had already served with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) in the operations to capture German New Guinea in 1914.
The 20th left Australia in late June, trained in Egypt from late July until mid-August, and on 22 August landed at ANZAC Cove.
Arriving at Gallipoli just as the August offensive petered out, the 20th's role there was purely defensive. From 26 August, until its withdrawal from the peninsula on 20 December, the 20th Battalion was responsible for the defence of Russell's Top.
After further training in Egypt, the 20th Battalion proceeded to France. It entered the trenches of the Western Front for the first time in April 1916 and in the following month had the dubious honour of being the first Australian battalion to be raided by the Germans. The 20th took part in its first major offensive around Pozieres between late July and the end of August 1916. After a spell in a quieter sector of the front in Belgium, the 2nd Division, which included the 5th Brigade, came south again in October. The 20th Battalion provided reinforcements for the attack near Flers between 14 and 16 November, launched in conditions that Charles Bean described as the worst ever encountered by the AIF.
In 1917, the 20th was involved in the follow-up of German forces after their retreat to the Hindenburg Line, and was one of four battalions to defeat a counter-stroke by a German force, almost five times as strong, at Lagnicourt. The Battalion took part in three major battles before the year was out, second Bullecourt (3-4 May) in France, and Menin Road (20-22 September) and Poelcappelle (9-10 October) in Belgium.
The spring of 1918 brought a major German offensive.
The 20th Battalion was one of many Australian battalions rushed to stop it, and it encountered some particularly severe fighting when ordered to attack at Hangard Wood on 7 April. With the German Army's last desperate offensive defeated, the 20th participated in the battles that pushed it ever closer to defeat: Amiens on 8 August, the legendary attack on Mont St Quentin on 31 August, and the forcing of the Beaurevoir Line around Montbrehain on 3 October. Montbrehain was the battalion's last battle of the war. It was disbanded on 20 April 1919.
Battle Honours:
Somme 1916-18, Pozieres, Bapaume 1917, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodeseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Hamel, Amiens, Albert 1918, Mont St Quentin, Hindenburg Line, Beaurevoir, France and Flanders 1916-18, Suvla, Gallipoli 1915, Egypt 1915-16
1914-15 Star
[Extract from Ribbons and Medals: Naval, Military, Air Force and Civil, Captain H. Taprell Dorling, DSO RN,
George Philip & Son, 33 Fleet Street, London EC4, 1940]
The decoration consists of a four-pointed star in bright bronze as shown, with the date 1914-15 on the central scroll. The reverse is plain, and is stamped with the name and unit of the recipient. The ribbon is red, white and blue, shaded and watered, worn with the red nearest the centre of the breast. It is atached to the medal through a ring.
It is similar in shape and description to the 1914 Star, to which few, if any, Australians were entitled. Those entitled were those who had already served with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) in the operations to capture German New Guinea in 1914.
The decoration, sanctioned in 1918, was issued "to all officers, warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the British, Dominion, Colonial and Indian Forces, including civilian medical practitioners, nursing sisters, nurses and others eployed with military hospitals, who actually served on the establishment of a unit in a theatre of war as defined in Appendix 'A'. Individuals in possession of the 1914 Star will not be eligible for the award of this decoration."
Appendix 'A' included the Western, Eastern, Egyptian, African, Asiatic and Australasian Theatres of war, with commencement dates individual to countries and campaigns.
British War Medal 1914-20
[Extract from Ribbons and Medals: Naval, Military, Air Force and Civil, Captain H. Taprell Dorling, DSO RN,
George Philip & Son, 33 Fleet Street, London EC4, 1940]
This medal was approved by King George V in 1919 to record the bringing of the war to a successful conclusion and the arduous services rendered by His Majesty's Forces.
The medal, which is supended from its ribbon by means of a straight clasp, without swivel, bears on the obverse the effigy of His Majesty - exactly similar to that on a half-crown - with the legend 'Georgivus V : Omn : Rex et Ind : Imp'.
The reverse bears a design which represents St George on horseback, trampling underfoot the eagle shield of the central powers and a skull and crossbones, the emblems of death. Overhead is the risen sun of victory. The male figure, rather than a symbolical female one, was chosen because man had borne the brunt of the fighting. The figure was mounted on horseback as symbolical of man's mind controlling force (represented by the horse) of far greater strength than his own. The design is thus also symbolical of the mechanical and scientific appliances which helped so largely to win the war.
The ribbon has a orange watered centre with stripes of white and black at each side and with borders of royal blue. It is stated that the colours have no particular signification.
Victory Medal
[Extract from Ribbons and Medals: Naval, Military, Air Force and Civil, Captain H. Taprell Dorling, DSO RN,
George Philip & Son, 33 Fleet Street, London EC4, 1940]
This medal, of bronze, bears on the obverse a winged figure of Victory, full length in the middle of the medal and full face; the borders and the backgound plain, without either incription or date. On the reverse is an inscription. "The Great War for Civilization." and either the names of the different Allied and Associated Powers, or their coats of arms.
The rim is plain, and the medal hangs from a ring. The ribbon is red in the centre, with green and violet on either side shaded to form the colours of two rainbows.
It has also been approved that any officer or man who has been "mentioned in despatches" shall wear a small bronze oak leaf on the ribbon of this medal. Only one oak leaf is so worn, no matter how many "mentions" the wearer may have received.
The medal is designed to obviate the exchange of Allied Commemorative war medals, and is issued only to those who actually served on the establishment of a unit or ship in a theatre of war. [This is an important distinction, as those Australians who served only in Australia, or only in Australia and England, were not entitled to the award.]
The Rising Sun Badge
This version of the Rising Sun Badge was worn by soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Australian Imperial Forces, and the badge has become an integral part of the Digger tradition.
Worn on the the upturned brim of the slouch hat, it is readily identified with the spirit of ANZAC.
There are a number of versions of the genesis of the badge, the most widely accepted being that it derived from a Trophy of Arms - various swords and bayonets mounted on a semi-circular display in Victoria Barracks, Melbourne.
The original version worn in South Africa was modified in 1904 and worn by Australian soldiers through two World Wars.
Later changes were made to the style of the crown and the wording on the scroll. The "King's Crown" is the one shown to the left, while arches of the "Queen's Crown" rise at the same angle as the base of the crown, curve at their highest point to a level mid-way on the orb below the cross and then down to below the orb.
In 1949 the scroll was changed to read "Australian Military Forces".
In 1969 the badge was modified to incorporate the 7-pointed Federation Star with a central Queen's crown over the Torse Wreath (a twisted roll of fabric) from the original 1902 version, and the scroll wording changed to "Australia".
In the 75th anniversary year of the the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli, there was a drive to return to traditional accoutrements worn by Australian soldiers during the World Wars, which clearly identify the Australian Army. The Queen's crown returned to its central position and the scroll now reads "The Australian Army'.
The ANZAC 'A'
The brass letter 'A' to represent service related to Gallipoli (ANZAC) was authorised to be worn 'over unit colour patches on both sleeves of the service dress jacket and greatcoat" by Military Order 354 of 18 Aug 17 and AIF Order 937 of 6 Nov 17, as amended in terms of qualification by Military Order 20 of 19 Jan 18 and by AIF Order 1084 of 25 Jan 18.
The size of the letter 'A', introduced as one inch in height (AIF Order 994 of 30 Nov 17), was reduced to three-quarters of an inch by AIF Order 1012 of 11 Dec 17. Provision for wearing the brass letter 'A' was also included in General Routine Order 0.815 of 17 Dec 43 and GRO 310 of 7 Dec 45.
Wound Stripe
Army Order No.204 Headquarters, 1st A.N.Z.A.C., 9th August, 1916. (slightly amended for layout)
DISTINCTIONS FOR OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS WHO HAVE BEEN WOUNDED
The following distinction in dress will be worn on the service dress jacket by all officers and soldiers who have been wounded in any of the campaigns since 4th August 1914 :
-
Stripes of gold Russia braid No.1, two inches [2.5cm] in length sewn perpendicularly on the left forearm sleeve of the jacket to mark each occasion on which wounded.
-
In the case of officers, the lower end of the first strip of gold braid will be immediately above the upper point of the flap on the cuff.
-
Warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men will wear the gold braid on the left forearm sleeve, the lower edge of the braid to be three inches from the bottom of the sleeve.
-
Subsequent occasions on which wounded, will be placed on either side of the original one at half inch interval.
-
Gold braid and sews will be obtained free on indent from the Army Ordnance Department; the sewing on will be carried out regimentally without expense to the public.
Long Service Badges
[Image from http://www.diggerhistory.info]
A.I.F. ORDER No.470, 24 January 1917 (slightly amended for layout)
The question of the issue of a badge to members of the AIF who have completed a certain period of service has received consideration, and approval has been given for the issue of a badge for long service combined with good conduct, subject to the following conditions.
The badge will consist of an inverted single chevron of service braid to be worn on the left forearm - the point of the chevron to be 3 inches [7.6cm] above the edge of the cuff.
Warrant and non-commissioned officers and men, will be eligible for the badge, which will not carry an increased pay or allowance.
One chevron will be worn for each complete year's service in the Australian Imperial Force from the date of embarkation in Australia.
No badge will be issued to any man who, during the 12 months, has incurred a regimental entry (i.e. an entry involving forfeiture of pay) in his sheet.
Time absent from the unit in hospital or elsewhere on account of wounds or sickness, not the result of misconduct, will count as service towards earning the badge.
A man in possession of a badge will forfeit same on being convicted of any offence involving a forfeiture of pay , but will be eligible to regain the badge after 6 months good conduct, from the date of forfeiture.
The illegal wearing of this badge will be a crime under A.A. Section 40.
Overseas Service Chevrons
[http://au.geocities.com/fortysecondbattalion/level2/reference/01nos-standards.htm]
[Image from http://www.diggerhistory.info]
Australian Imperial Force Order No.1053, January 1918 (Slightly amended for layout)
His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of chevrons to denote service overseas since the 4th August 1914.
Chevrons of two colours have been approved.
The first chevron if earned on or before 31st December 1914, will be red.
If earned on or after 1st January 1915, it will be blue.
All additional chevrons after the first will be blue.
The chevrons will be worsted embroidery, 1/4 inch [0.63cm] in width, the arms 4 inches [10.2cm] long. They will be worn inverted on the right forearm:
In the case of officers, the apex of the lowest chevron will be 1 inch [2.5cm] above the upper point of the flap on the cuff.
In the case of warrant-officers, non-commissioned officers and men, the apex of the lowest chevron will be midway between the seams and four inches [10.2cm] above the bottom edge of the sleeve.
The red chevron will be worn below the blue one. They will not be worn on greatcoats.
In the case of Australians, the first chevron was earned the date the individual left Australia. Additional chevrons were awarded for each successive aggregate period of 12 months service outside Australia.
Some Government Issued Badges
Nearest Female
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War Widows
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Silver War Badge |
Discharged Returned
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Government issued badge in enamel and sterling silver issued to the wife, mother or nearest female relative of a serving soldier. Additional bars were suspended below for further individuals. |
Membership badge of a Kookaburra in sterling silver, issued by the Government to the widows of men
who lost their lives due to their service. Numbered on the reverse. |
Awarded to service personnel who sustained a wound, or contracted sickness of disability in the course of the war as a result of which they were invalided out, or to soldiers who had retired during the course of the war. |
First issued in 1916. Slight variations are indicative of a number of makers. 267,300 were issued. Numbered on the reverse but the numbers have no link withlength of service or Service Number. |