John Evans (cricketer, born 1889) facts for kids

Alfred John Evans (born May 1, 1889 – died September 18, 1960) was an English cricket player. He was an amateur, meaning he played for fun, not as a paid job. He mostly played for Oxford University and Kent County Cricket Club. He even led the Kent team as captain in 1927. Evans also played for Hampshire. He played in just one big international game, called a Test match, for the English cricket team in 1921.

Evans was also a brave soldier. He served in both World War I and World War II. During World War I, he was part of the Royal Flying Corps. He was captured twice as a prisoner of war. But he never gave up trying to escape, and he succeeded two times! In World War II, he worked for MI9. This group helped prisoners of war escape. Besides cricket, he was also good at golf and racquets.

Early Life and School Days

Evans was born in Highclere, Hampshire, in 1889. His father, AH Evans, was a teacher at Winchester College. He also started his own school, Horris Hill School, in 1888.

Young Evans first went to his father's school. Then he moved on to Winchester College. After that, he studied at Oriel College, Oxford from 1909 to 1912.

While at Winchester, he was on the school's cricket team. He also played racquets and golf for the school.

At Oxford, Evans earned a "Blue" for cricket in 1909. A "Blue" means you've played at the highest level for your university. He also got Blues for racquets and golf. He finished his degree in History in 1912. He was offered a teaching job at Eton College. But first, he had to spend a year in Germany.

Evans learned to speak German very well during his year there. He only taught at Eton for one year. After that, he left to start a business career.

Cricket Career Highlights

Evans played his first big cricket game, called a first-class match, in August 1908. This was for Hampshire. He then went to Oxford.

He played cricket often while at Oxford. He played 30 times for the University team. This included four important University matches. He was a strong right-handed batsman and a medium-pace bowler. He was even the captain of the Oxford team in 1911.

He played for Hampshire in 1909 and 1912. But after 1912, he played very little until World War I started in 1914.

After the war, Evans still played cricket only sometimes. In 1921, he scored 69 runs without being out for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). This was against the touring Australian team. He also scored 100 runs in his first game for Kent in May.

Because of these great games, he was chosen for the England team. He played in the second Ashes Test match at Lord's in June. He was 32 years old. This was his only Test match. He scored 4 runs and 14 runs in his two turns at bat. Some reports said he was very nervous during the game.

He kept playing first-class cricket now and then. Sometimes for Kent, and sometimes for other teams. Then, in 1927, he became the captain of Kent. He played in 23 first-class games that season. In 1927, Evans scored 832 runs. This included three scores of 100 or more. His highest score was 143 against Lancashire. He earned his Kent "county cap" that same year. He played his last nine first-class games the next year.

In total, Evans played 36 first-class games for Kent. He scored almost 3,500 runs in his whole first-class career.

Military Service and Escapes

When World War I began, Evans was asked to join the new Intelligence Corps. This was because he had spent a year in Germany and spoke German well. He first joined the mounted section. But he was hurt in a motorcycle accident in France in September 1914.

In February 1915, he joined No. 3 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. He worked as an observer. This squadron was the first to use cameras from planes to take pictures of enemy positions. Observers like Evans took photos from low in the sky, often while being shot at. In September 1915, he received the Military Cross award. This was for continuing to observe even when his plane was under attack. He was also mentioned for his bravery in official reports.

In early 1916, he became a pilot. He helped find German artillery positions during the Battle of the Somme. On July 16, his plane broke down. He and his observer, Lieutenant Long, had to land behind enemy lines. They crashed their plane so the enemy couldn't use it. Then, German soldiers captured them.

Evans became a prisoner of war (POW). He was first held at Clausthal in Germany. He escaped and almost reached the Dutch border. But he was caught again. He was then sent to Ingolstadt with other officers who had tried to escape. He tried to escape many times, but was always caught.

Finally, in 1917, he and another officer, Captain Buckley, escaped while being moved to a different prison camp. This time, Evans' escape worked! They walked for 18 nights and reached Switzerland, a neutral country.

Rules said that POWs couldn't go back to fight in the same war area if they had been captured there. So, Evans was sent to Egypt and then to Palestine. In January 1918, he took charge of 142 Squadron, a bomber group.

In March 1918, his plane broke down again. He was forced to land and was captured by Arab tribesmen. They handed him and two Australian airmen (who had landed to try and rescue him) over to Turkish soldiers. After another escape attempt, Evans was sent to Constantinople and then to a POW camp. He bribed a doctor to say he was sick. This way, he could be part of an exchange of officers between Turkish and British troops. He sailed to Alexandria in November 1918. He received another award, a bar to his Military Cross, for all his escape attempts. Evans later wrote a book about his time as a POW called The Escaping Club.

During World War II, Evans was called to serve in MI9. This part of the army helped coordinate secret resistance activities. It also helped airmen shot down behind enemy lines and escaping POWs. He used his experiences from World War I to help create rules for POW escapes. In July 1944, he landed in Normandy. He helped rescue POWs as the Allied armies moved across North West Europe. He became a wing commander in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in January 1940. He was also given the American Bronze Star Medal.

Family and Later Life

Evans' father, AH Evans, played 44 first-class cricket games. His younger brother, Ralph, played five games, including one for Hampshire.

Evans married Marie Galbraith, who was an Irish concert violinist. Their son was the actor Michael Evans.

Alfred John Evans passed away in London in 1960. He was 71 years old.