Harry Evans was born in the Spring of 1891 in Hemel Hempstead, the sixth of seven children born to Walter Evans and Harriet Buckthorp. Harry’s siblings were: Leonard Thomas, Horace William, Emily, Edith, Alice Ruth and Elsie. His brother Leonard served with the Royal Fusiliers and was killed in 1918 and his biography also appears on this site. Their brother-in-law Horace Lavender, Alice’s husband, fought in and survived the conflict.

The Evans family lived at number 47 Chapel Street, Hemel Hempstead where all the children grew up. Harry’s father Walter worked as an ‘Iron Moulder’ for one of the two foundries in the town, Cranstone Engineering on the High Street or Boxmoor Ironworks on the Marlowes. A year after he left school Harry joined John Dickinson & Co. Limited in 1905, where he worked as a ‘Clerk’ in Apsley Mills. During his time there he joined the Hertfordshire Territorials and served a four year term, leaving in 1913. On the outbreak of war he joined the local "Volunteers" and only left to join the Colours. 

Harry re-enlisted with his old Regiment in June 1915 and immediately went to Bury St Edmunds to train for active service. On completion of his training he was sent to France where he was posted to the 1/1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment, which he joined at the beginning of January 1916. In mid-April near Festubert, Harry went into the trenches for the first time, but it was October when he first experienced significant action in the Battle of Ancre Heights. One month later he fought in the last action of the Somme Offensive at the Battle of Ancre, which he came through unscathed although 147 of his comrades were casualties of that engagement.

The Battalion now moved to Belgium and on the 31st July 1917, Harry fought in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, the opening attack of the Third Battle of Ypres which will ever be remembered as the horror of ‘Passchendaele’. The 1/1st Herts casualties at Pilckem were extremely heavy with some 459 men lost as the Battalion War Diary recorded: “Estimated casualties to the other ranks were 29 killed, 5 missing believed killed, 132 missing, 68 wounded & missing, 223 wounded & 2 died of wounds, making a total of 459 casualties to other ranks. Died of wounds; Officers 2, OR's 6. Missing; Officers 9, OR's 120. Wounded; Officers 8, OR's 180.” Harry however survived the carnage. In August the Battalion were in support at the Battle of Langemarck, allowing some recovery time from the terrible fighting at Pilckem, but on the 20th September it fought at the Battle of the Menin Road. It was during this action, when Harry was in the trenches, that he died as a shell hit the trench and killed him instantly. Another Hemel Hempstead soldier, Arthur Cross, was killed in this incident.

Harry died on Friday, 21st September 1917. His mother received the following letter which was published in the Hemel Gazette. The article incorrectly states Harry’s date of death as the 24th September.

Harry was commemorated on the John Dickinson & Co. Limited War Memorial in Apsley.

A year after his death the following verse appeared in the Hemel Gazette.

He was commemorated along with his brother Leonard on the St Paul’s Church memorial plaque. This was unfortunately lost when the church was demolished in the early 1960’s but, a replacement Memorial Scroll is on display in the new church at Highfield.

Harry is Remembered with Honour in the Hooge Crater Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, Belgium, where he is interred in Grave XII. F. 6.

He was 26 years old when he died.

Harry was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.