Six: Band Corporal L. Evans, Royal Marines

1939-45 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star, clasp, North Africa 1942-43; Burma Star; War Medal 1939-45, these unnamed; Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Yangtze (RMB/X 1282 Band Cpl., R.M.) mounted court style for wear, last with contact marks, nearly very fine; others good very fine (6) £700-800

Leslie Evans enlisted into the Royal Marines as a Drummer Boy on 1 March 1939. He served on H.M.S. Duke of York during 1942/43, was present on a number of convoys to Russia, and was possibly still serving aboard the ship when she engaged and sank the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst. During the war he also served in the Mediterranean and the Far East.

In September 1948 Evans was a serving member of the Royal Marine Band formed at Burford, Oxfordshire (the R.N. School of Music). The band left Burford in October 1948 and embarked on H.M.S. Belfast for the Far East. Upon arrival in Singapore, some members of the band, including Evans, disembarked to join H.M.S. Terror (the shore base at Singapore), the remainder continued to Hong Kong to form the band on H.M.S. London.

Evans and the detachment on Terror formed a salon orchestra and dance band combination to meet the requirements of the C-in-C. Admiral ‘Daddy’ Brind, and also to accompany him on cruises on his ‘yacht’, H.M.S. Alert. In addition, these musicians were used to support the rest of the band at H.M.S. Terror or any other shipborne R.M. band whenever prestige cruises were conducted by the Flag Officer Second in Command Far Eastern Fleet, Admiral Madden.

In April 1949, Evans with eleven other R.M. bandsmen from H.M.S. Terror, under the command of Bandmaster Stagg, sailed in H.M.S. Alert to Hong Kong where they were transferred to H.M.S. London in readiness for a trip to Shanghai to take part in St. George’s Day celebrations for the benefit of the British residents there. H.M.S. London was en route to Shanghai when news was received that H.M.S. Amethyst had been fired on by Chinese Communist forces and was in trouble. H.M.S. London made all speed for the Yangtse River to render assistance. In the ensuing action she came under heavy shell fire and was seriously damaged. During the action, Royal Marine Band Service personnel (Evans amongst them) in H.M.S. London worked as members of ammunition and first aid parties.

With copied photograph of the recipient in uniform wearing his W.W.2 medals; three other photographs showing damage to H.M.S. London; a magazine cutting with a group photograph including Evans as a drummer in the band of H.M.S. Duke of York, 1942/43; copied newspaper cuttings and research correspondence.