WARTIME HERO GETS REPULSE COMMAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17881, 24 June 1926, Page 8

WARTIME HERO GETS REPULSE COMMAND.

EVANS, POLAR EXPLORER, HAS HAD ROMANTIC CAREER OF ADVENTURE. LONDON, June 4. Captain E. R. G. R. Evans, who was second in command of Captain Scott's ill-fated second expedition to the South Pole, and who was the hero of the Dover Patrol Battle in 1917, will take over the command to-morrow of the battle cruiser Repulse, on which the Prince of Wales has made two voyagesCaptain E. R. G .R. Evans is one

of the younger "schdol in the Royal Navy, and has had a most distinguished and adventurous career. He joined the Navy 29 years ago, when 15 years old, and while still a sublieutenant was appointed to the relief ship Morning, which went south in 1902 to extricate Captain Scott's polar party, which was caught in the ice in the Discovery. The Discovery, however, managed to get clear and returned to England. In 1907 he was awarded the Shadwell prize by the Admiralty for the best marine survey of the year. In 1909 he was appointed second in command to Scott's second expedition to the South Pole, and accompanied the leader to within 200 miles of the Pole. On the return journey Evans fell ill from scurvy and was carried on a sledge over hundreds of miles back to the base by his two companions. Cream and Joyce, who were specially deeorated by the King for their selfsacrificing devotion. On the non return of Scott’s party from the Pole. Evans assumed command of the expedition, and it was under his direction that the search party was despatched which found Scott and his companions dead in their tent. His most famous exploit during the war was a dashing attack while in command of the destroyer Broke, when that ship, with H.M.S. Swift, engaged and defeated six German destroyers in the Straits of Dover. The German vessels were suddenly sighted in the darkness, and Evans, in the Broke, charged the line at full speed, cutting clean in half one of the German shipsSubsequently, when in command of H.M.S. Carlisle, on the China station, he was personally instrumental in saving the lives of 22S passengers wrecked in the slfamer Hong Moh. For that he received Lloyd’s special gold medal for saving life at sea, being the sole recipient of this unique honour. Captain Evans has more decorations than any officer of his rank, and has been honoured by the geographical societies of every nation. His first wiffe was the daughter of Mr T G. Russell, of New Zealand.