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Victor Richard Daniel Evans

Portrait, sent by his nephew and namesake Vic Evans - This image may be subject to copyright

Portrait, sent by his nephew and namesake Vic Evans - This image may be subject to copyright

Identity

  • Title
  • Forenames
    Victor Richard Daniel AWMM
  • Surname
    Evans AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    • W/3641 AWMM
    • WWII W/36411 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
  • Relationship status

Service

Wars and conflicts

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Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM

Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Victor Evans was the son of Daniel James and Gertrude Mary Evans of Maori Hill, Dunedin, Otago.

    He was in the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve from 12 Dec 1937 until 19 Dec 1941.

    Mobilised 23 Aug 1939

    He died when his ship, HMS Neptune, hit several mines in the sea off Tripoli and sank 19 December 1941.

    Neptune's Legacy by Nixie Taverner. HMS Neptune was launched at Portsmouth on 31 January 1933. She was one of five 'Leander' class light cruisers completed between 1933 and 1935. Two others were HMS Achilles and Leander serving in the RNZN. They displaced 7,200 tons, could make 32 knots and carried eight 6 inch guns and 550 crew. The Neptune was in the Mediterranean from 1 December 1941 as part of Force K which was searching for Axis shipping, especially those taking supplies to Rommel in North Africa. Early on the 19th the ships of Force K ran into a minefield.The Neptune hit three or four mines and sank with only one survivor. At the same time the Aurora was badly damaged and Penelope slightly.Trying to reach Neptune to assist, the destroyer Kandahar was mined and had to be scuttled the following day. On the same day in Alexandria harbour the Queen Elizabeth with Admiral Cunningham on board and the Valiant were both badly damaged and sank.The Mediterranean Fleet battle squadron ceased to exist. Of the total crew of 766 there was only one survivor.He was rescued off a raft five days later by an Italian destroyer and spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp. AWMM
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    19 December 1941 AWMM
    Age 21 AWMM
    Mediterranean AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    • New Zealand Naval Memorial, Devonport Naval Base, HMNZS Philomel, Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
    • National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Stafforshire, England. Monument, to the men of HMS Neptune and HMS Kandahar AWMM

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Harker, J.S. (1991). Almost HMNZS Neptune. Wellington, N.Z.: Moana Press. AWMM
    • Harker, J.S. (2001). The birth and growth of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Durham, England: Pentland Press. AWMM
    • Taverner, N. (2003). Neptune's Legacy. Fleet Hargate, England: Arcturus Press. AWMM
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM
      McGregor, J. & Clayton, D. (2005). Neptune and Kandahar Memorial. AWMM
    • Hudson, N. (2008). Sole survivor: one man's journey - biography of John Norman Walton, the sole survivor of HMS Neptune. England: The Memoir Club. AWMM
    • St Clair, A. (2005). Mediterranean minefield: disaster of HMS Neptune. England: The Neptune Association. AWMM
    • Record Book of Naval Personnel - c.1920-1945 - Lists Navy number, alphabetical list of names of ratings trained in England, numerical lists of officers. Archives New Zealand, R21346617, AAYT 8495 N12 AWMM

Contributors

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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
09 September 2018DAVIDSYDNEY, NSW, AUSTYRALIAOther relative

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