The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A memorial service was held for a Victoria Cross-winning war hero, and Spalding man Ken Willows went along to help with the service.
The service was held in Aberystwyth, Wales, to commemorate the centenary of the awarding of the Victoria Cross – the highest award in the UK honours system – to Brigadier General Lewis Pugh Evans.
Spalding veteran of the 1st Batallion Royal Lincolns Ken Willows (82) went along to the ceremony as Chairman of the Lincolnshire Regiment Association.
Lewis began his military career after studying at Eton. He joined the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and planned to join the Royal Welch Fusiliers but was offered a commission by The Black Watch Regiment so went to fight in South Africa in the Boer War.
Ken described Evans as “a gallant soldier” and said that he “got his VC when he served with the Lincolnshire regiment” during the First World War, which he joined in the Royal Flying Core as Pilot Observer to map German lines. In 1917, Lewis was appointed Acting Commander of the 1st Lincolnshire Regiment.
It was during this time Evans was injured. “He had two objectives,” said Ken. “He was wounded during the first but pushed on to the second objective, where he collapsed due to being short of blood,” Ken said.
The official citation for the award of the Victoria Cross reads: “His example of cool bravery stimulated in all ranks the highest valour and dertermination to win,”
Mr Evans also served in the Second World War. He died in 1962, aged 81.
