Horace Evans was the son of Ernest James and Mary Eliza Evans (nee Humphreys).   They had married  in a Civil Ceremony in Holywell in 1909. . (Flintshire (Mold) HOL/35/4).   Young Horace was born in the in the December Quarter of 1913 (Holywell Vol.  11b, Page 343).

Their first home was at 10, Stone Row, Connah’s Quay, Flintshire and they are seen on the 1911 census where Ernest James is shown as just James, age 22, married 2 years with 1 child born, still living, and an Ironworker in the Welsh Mills, born in New Brighton.   His wife Mary was 25 and had been born in Connah’s Quay as had their child Ernest, age 1.

By the 1921 census, which was taken on the 19^th of June 1921, shows the family had moved to 15, Church Street, Connah’s Quay.   Ernest James Evans was head of the household and now 32 years and 2 months old, he was a Steel Sheet Furnaceman at J. Summers & Sons Ltd., Hawarden Bridge Shotton, but ‘Out of work.’   His wife, Mary Eliza Evans was 35 years and 6 months old, she was doing ‘Household Duties.’   Their children, James Wm. Ernest Evans was 10 years and 10 months old, and Horace Evans was 7 years and 7 months old, they had been born in Connah’s Quay, Flintshire.   There were 2 boarders, Samuel Jones, 80 years, and 7 months old, he was a retired Boiler Maker, he was ‘Out of Work,’ and born in Kinnerton, Flintshire.    Harriet Jones, 75 years, and 6 months old, born in Runcorn, Cheshire, doing ‘Household Duties.’

I do not know anything about Horace’s young life or teen years, and I don’t know where Horace met Elizabeth B. McPhee, but I do know that he married her in the June quarter of 1937 in a Civil Ceremony at Hawarden. (Flintshire (Mold)HAW/13/106), the certificate would have to be purchased to confirm or deny.

Horace was born on the 1^st of November 1913 according to the 1939 National Register, which was taken on the 29^th of September 1939.   Horace and his new wife of 2 years, Elizabeth B. Evans, were living at 39 Kingsley Road, Garden City, Flintshire.   Elizabeth’s date of birth was the 6th of January 1915.   On this Register Horace was a Cold Steel Roller and married of course to Elizabeth, who’s occupation on this register was doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties,” this was the description most married women, who did not have a job, were described as doing.    There was also one more person in this household, but the record was closed or redacted, so it may be that they may have had a child.  They were living next door to Elizabeth’s parents and siblings, see McPhee Household below at 41 Kingsley Road.   This also gives us the clue that Elizabeth remarried in the December quarter of 1963 to Arthur Hallows in a Civil Ceremony at Hawarden. (Hawarden Page 8a Vol. 920)

William S McPhee’s date of birth was the 7^th of Feb 1888, and he is an Estate Worker, his wife Bessie’s date of birth was the31st Aug 1892 and she is doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties” as most married women were described in this register, who did not have a job.   Elizabeth’s siblings – Millicent J McPhee was born on the 13^th of Sep 1917 and was a Silk Worker and single.   Bessie June McPhee was born on the 8th of Aug 1919 and a Silk Worker and Single.   Her brother William S (Jun.) McPhee born on the 7^th of Nov 1921, who was a Labourer in the Rolling Mill and Single.   There were 2 redacted or closed records, so I don’t know who they were but probably more children.

Also living in Garden City were Horace’s parents, Ernest James, and Mary Evans, living at 32 Farm Road, Garden City, and they appear on the 1939 Register as well, giving the dates of birth of both Ernest James and Mary as the 4^th of April 1890 and the 9^th of December 1885 respectively.  Ernest James was a Steel Furnaceman and like before Mary was doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.”

The Royal Artillery Attestation Register tells us that he joined in 1941 and on the 26th of March 1944 he was transferred (In the Field?) and reposted to “L.A.A.” was stamped in the Register.

Taken from the CWGC Website – History Information: –

The Allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. Most of the burials in Hottot-les-Bagues War Cemetery were brought in from the surrounding district, where there was much heavy fighting through June and July 1944 as Commonwealth forces tried to press on from Bayeux in an encircling movement to the south of Caen.

His Casualty Card tells us that he was born in Flintshire and his domicile was in Queensferry, Nr. Chester and he had been “Killed in Action.”

The Casualty List (Page 12) also tells us that he was one 3 men who died on that day, but the only one from 65 A. Tank Regt., on this list, although as you can see on the CWGC Graves Concentration Report Form Horace was probably buried the day he died with George Alfred William Hunter, R.A., 1839974, who also died on the same day,(where they together?) in Livry, according to the CWGC Graves Concentration Report Form and then they were reburied on the 30^th of May 1945 at Hottot-Les-Bruges British Cemetery.

I do not know what happened to Horace, but I have tried to bring some insight into what might have happened and below are the links to websites and excerpts from some to help.

Taken from the website  – https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=106266

65th anti-tank regiment Norfolk Yeomanry

#1 Post by wright61 » 16 Aug 2006, 10:11

I have scoured the internet done searches in my local libraries, but I am unable to find any substantial info on this regiment, can anyone help me find some?

Regards Robert

Reply from Martin_Schenkel

Member

Posts: 148

Joined: 29 Aug 2005, 09:08

Location: Canada

#2 Post  by Martin_Schenkel » 16 Aug 2006, 21:17

How substantial info are you looking for? Here’s some basic info: –

Formed in 1939 as a duplicate of 55th (Suffolk & Norfolk Yeomanry) Anti-Tank Regiment, RA. Assigned to 50th Northumbrian Division with 257th, 258th, 259th, and 260th Batteries, it fought with the 50th in France and Belgium. After returning to the UK, it followed the 50th Division to North Africa in Jul/Aug 41, initially garrisoning Cyprus, and later joining the western desert campaign sometime in Feb/Mar 42. The regiment served with 4th Indian Division for a time, until it was assigned to 7th Armoured Division in Sep/42 and served with the 7th Armoured for the rest of the war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Armoured_Division_(United_Kingdom)

North West Europe

In November 1943, the division left Italy for the United Kingdom; with the last units arriving on 7 January 1944.[13][14] The division was re-equipped with the new Cromwell cruiser tanks and in April and May received 36 Sherman Vc Fireflies; enough to organise each troop so that they had a complement of three 75 mm gun Cromwell tanks and a 17 pounder gun Firefly.[13] The Desert Rats were the only British armoured division to use the Cromwell as their main battle tank.[15]

German prisoners being searched by soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own) near Tilly-sur-Seulles, Normandy, 13 June 1944.

The 7th Armoured Division was one of the three British follow-up divisions of the two British assault corps earmarked for the Normandy landings.[16] The 22nd Armoured Brigade embarked on 4 June and most of the division landed on Gold Beach by the end of 7 June, a day after the initial landings.[13][17] The division, part of Lieutenant General Gerard Bucknall’s XXX Corps, initially took part in Operation Perch* and Operation Goodwood, two operations that formed part of the Battle for Caen, itself part of Operation Overlord, codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy. During Perch, the division was to spearhead one arm of a pincer attack to capture the city. Due to a change in plan, elements of the division engaged tanks of the Panzer-Lehr-Division and the Heavy SS-Panzer Battalion 101 in the Battle of Villers-Bocage.[18]  Following the capture of Caen, the division took part in Operation Spring, which was intended to keep the German forces pinned to the British front away from the Americans who were launching Operation Cobra and then Operation Bluecoat, an attack to support the American break-out and intercept German reinforcements moving to stop it. After the Battle of the Falaise Gap, which saw most of the German Army in Normandy destroyed, the 7th Armoured Division then took part in the Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Perch

Operation Perch

Operation Perch was intended to create the threat of a British break-out to the south-east of Caen by XXX Corps. The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division landed on Gold Beach on 6 June and was to rapidly move inland and capture Bayeux and the road to Tilly-sur-Seulles.[4][8] The 7th Armoured Division and the 8th Armoured Brigade would then take over from the 50th Northumbrian Division and advance from Tilly-sur-Seulles to Mont Pinçon.[4][9] XXX Corps landed on Gold Beach at 07:30 on 6 June, cleared seven exits off the beach and advanced 5 miles (8.0 km) inland. German resistance at Le Hamel delayed the division and prevented the achievement of all of the D-Day objectives before dark.[10] Patrols had reached Bayeux and made contact with the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, which had landed on Juno Beach to the east.[11][12] The 47 Royal Marine Commando advanced westwards along the coast, to link up with the American forces moving inland from Omaha Beach but fell short of Port-en-Bessin-Huppain by 3 mi (4.8 km).[10]

During the afternoon, the German LXXXIV Corps ordered its reserve, Kampfgruppe Meyer, to strike into the flank of the 50th Division north of Bayeux. While advancing to the attack, a battalion was ordered towards Omaha beach, weakening the counter-attack which was a costly failure.[13] On 7 June, the bulk of the 7th Armoured Division landed on schedule and XXX Corps secured its remaining D-Day objectives, including Bayeux and Port-en-Bessin-Huppain.[8][14] The LXXXIV Corps sent its last reserve unit, Mobile Brigade 30, towards Gold Beach to repeat the counter-attack, which also failed and the brigade was destroyed north of Bayeux. The survivors of the two counter-attacks were driven into a pocket north of the city by the Anglo-American advance, although the Americans did not discover that this had happened.[15] From Sword Beach, the 3rd Infantry Division of I Corps had advanced towards Caen but diverted units to capture German positions along the 9.3 mi (15.0 km) route, which reduced the strength of the infantry attack and the accompanying 27th Armoured Brigade was delayed by congestion in the beachhead. The division was stopped short of Caen by the 21st Panzer Division.[16]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings

https://www.royalartilleryunitsnetherlands1944-1945.com/index.html  and

https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-caen-2360449 and also

https://www.royalartilleryunitsnetherlands1944-1945.com/65-anti-tank-regt.html

In 1949 three bronze panels were added in memory of the 30,000 men of the Royal Artillery who were killed in World War II.

https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Yeomanry

Norfolk Yeomanry

The Norfolk Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment of the British Army.

The regiment was raised in 1901 at the express wish of the new King Edward VII and titled the Norfolk (King′s Own) Imperial Yeomanry with the Royal cypher as their badge.[1] It was later renamed King’s Own Royal Regiment (Norfolk Yeomanry.

https://military.wikia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Army_Yeomanry_Regiments_converted_to_Royal_Artillery

List of British Army Yeomanry Regiments converted to Royal Artillery

In 1794, in the face of the revolutionary army of France that numbering half a million men, the counties formed a force of Volunteer Yeoman Cavalry which could be called on by the King to defend the country against invasion or by the Lord Lieutenant to subdue any civil disorder within the country.[1] After World War I, It had become clear that cavalry was obsolete and in 1922 it was announced that some Yeomanry Regiments were to become Royal Artillery regiments.[1]

I believe that Elizabeth B. Evans remarried in the December quarter of 1963 to Arthur Hallows in Hawarden, again, the certificate would have to be purchased to confirm or deny. (Hawarden Vol.  8a, Page 920).

Horace was well loved as his family made sure that his name would not be forgotten when they put his name forward to be included on the War Memorial at Hawarden.

“THE SOULS OF THE RIGHTEOUS ARE IN THE HAND OF GOD”