Lot Evans was born in Street, Somerset, on 30th October 1895. The second of two children, his parents were George and Elizabeth Evans. Lot’s mother had four children from a previous marriage and, by the time of the 1901 census, the family had set up home in the coastal village of Brean. George was employed as a farm labourer there, as were Lot’s older half-brothers.

When Lot completed his schooling, he also found work as a farm labourer. The next census return, in 1911, recorded the family of four still living in Brean. George had eased up on the manual work – he was 67 by this point – and was employed as a domestic gardener. Lot’s older brother Ben was a bricklayer’s labourer, so there were three wages – albeit probably meagre ones – coming in to support the household.

When war came to European shores, both Lot and Ben stepped up to play their part. Lot enlisted on 10th November 1915, but was not actually mobilised until January 1918. He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as a Gunner, and was assigned to the 4th Siege Battery.

On 28th March 1918, Lot married his sweetheart, Hester Puddy. Theirs was to be a brief honeymoon, as he was sent to France just three days later.

Gunner Evans remained overseas until the end of the year, returning home on 5th February 1919 in advance of being demobbed.

He was very ill with influenza. He went to bed and we had the Doctor. It developed into pneumonia and he died last night [13th February 1919].

Letter from Private Ben Evans to the Royal Garrison Artillery

Gunner Evans was just 23 years old when he died. The letter sent by his brother – who was also at home and waiting to be demobbed from the Wiltshire Regiment – explained that Hester was living with their family and his question to the regiment concerned how to claim his brother’s pension.

Lot Evans was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Bridget’s Church in Brean. Now surrounded by caravan parks and holidaymakers, at the time, this would have been a place of sanctuary bordering the Somerset coastline.

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