Private Gwilym Gray Evans, son of Griffith and Elizabeth Catherine Evans, of Dolgelley, Merionethshire, served with 1st Parachute Battalion. He took part in the Battle of Arnhem, during Op Market Garden.
Gwilym Gray Evans, had enlisted on the 19th April 1941 and was serving in the Royal Welch Fusiliers when he volunteered for Airborne Forces.
He completed Parachute Course 30, at RAF Ringway, 5th – 13th October 1942. This was a re-enforcement course, where the men were held at Brigade level, until the units needed replacements and Private G.G. Evans was posted to the 1st Parachute Battalion in North Africa.
Gwilym took part in operations in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, November 1942 to December 1943, and later served in the Assault Platoon at Arnhem. He successfully returned across the River on the night of the 25th/26th September 1944.
He died in an accident on the Military Ranges at Exmoor on the 16th April 1945.
According to the Death Certificate the cause of death was “Cerebral Haemorrhage following injuries to the skull through his firing a two inch mortar bomb into a tree close to his position during a military exercise. No Post Mortem. Misadventure”
He is buried in Dolgelley Nonconformist Cemetery (Merioneth, Wales), Sec F, Grave 13.
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NOTE: For many years he was included on the ROLL OF HONOUR, 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem, but in the 5th Edition 2011, he was removed.
Profile photo supplied by Phil Jennett
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1. His name was Gwilym GRAY Evans (not Grey)
2. He was never ever known as William by his family and friends although there has been some lazy Anglecising of his name in some documents including his death certificate
3. He died aged 20 not aged 22 (as you can see in your own photograph of his stone. He joined straight out of grammar school and I believe there had been some creativity regarding his age for this reason. His stone when it first turned up said 22 years for what I presume is the same reason as to why his age in incorrectly reported here.
4. Can you confirm that he served at Arnhem please? Records were obtained from the record office but have so much blocked out, they are a little less than uninformative.
5. He died in an accident on the Military Ranges at Minehead. His family were told that it was somebody else who had misfired the mortar. His brothers subsequently put a lot of effort into finding the perpetrator. Again, his records are heavily censored so tell us nothing. I have discovered an officer called Terence Lancelot Tynan was killed in the same incident however. How would I go about obtaining information about this incident? I assume it would have been thoroughly recorded somewhere?
6. Would a photograph of Gwilym exist somewhere on file?
Thank you
Ceri Ransome and Shirley Gray (formerly) Evans
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