Maurice Codner, 1888-1958 Vice Admiral Sir Charles Leo Glandore (Crash) Evans Kcb Cbe Dso Dsc 1888-1958

Maurice Codner, 1888-1958

Vice Admiral Sir Charles Leo Glandore (Crash) Evans KCB CBE DSO DSC 1888-1958

11th April 1944

Signed/Inscribed:

and dated 1944

oil on canvas

20 x 16in. (51 x 41 cm.)

Wearing naval Uniform beret and duffle Coat.

Notes

Vice Admiral Sir Charles Evans was a Royal Navy officer who became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. Evans initially joined the Royal Navy in 1922 aged 19 and was trained as a pilot in 1930 and was given a temporary commission as a flying officer in the Royal Air Force in 1931. he served on the Carriers Furious and Courageous flying Fairey Flycathcher Fighters. The outbreak of the War found him Lieutant in the 803 squadron on HMS Ark Royal, where he was involved in the first British Aerial victory on the 26th sept 1939 , with 3 of the Units Skuas bringing down a Do18 flying Boat. In Feb 1940 he formed the 806 Naval Air Squadron.

He served in World War II as Commanding Officer of 806 Naval Air Squadron based at HMS Sparrowhawk Orkney, carrying out bombing attacks on targets around Bergen in Norway in May 1940 and providing cover for the Dunkirk evacuation the following month.According to one source, 806 Naval Air Squadron was formed at HMS Kestrel on 1 February 1940 with Lieutenant Commander Charles Evans as the Commanding Officer and Lieutenant Desmond Vincent-Jones as the Senior Observer and using eight Blackburn Skuas and four Blackburn Rocs. However, another source gives the date and location as being 15 February at Eastleigh, possibly referring to HMS Raven and states that the squadron did not have sufficient crews to operate its aircraft until the next group from the fighter training school had been trained. In the Norwegian operations there was one particular raid on May 11 that was executed with an oil tank farm complex located on Askøy Island as the target. Lieutenant Commander Evans led six Blackburn Skuas who were each armed with a single 250 lb semi-armour-piercing bomb and four 20 lb cooper bombs. Presumably, only six Skuas took part due to the remaining two not being serviceable due to the damage sustained during the attack on 9 May. Three Blenheims armed also with incendiary bombs escorted the Skuas. The squadrons' attack was virtually unopposed with no casualties amongst either squadron and several hits were claimed upon the oil tanks and these were later confirmed to be ablaze by reconnaissance photographs.

On 12 May another attack was made upon shipping around Bergen. In this attack the target was an enemy transport ship believed to be attempting to run through to Bergen Harbour with anti-aircraft guns intended to protect the port area. As in the 11 May raid Lieutenant Commander Evans led six Skuas accompanied by three Blenheims. The squadron located the ship as it was entering the fjords around Bergen with two escorting destroyers or motor torpedo boats and split into two waves they attempted to dive bomb the target however all six 500 lb semi-armour-piercing bombs missed although no casualties were received.

806's final patrol in the operations over Dunkirk was carried out on 2 June 1940 with Charles Evans leading the patrol. During this, an enemy Ju 88 was seen to attack HMS Calcutta and was attacked by the squadron but this machine disappeared into clouds in a slow spiral, possibly destroyed. Another Ju 88 was seen and attacked but this also dived and was lost in the clouds. An Avro Anson of RAF Coastal Command later reported seeing an Ju 88 return over Dunkirk with its port engine alight shortly after the time that 806 Naval Air Squadron attacked the Ju 88.

He served on Iustrious in Bermuda. In June the squadron embarked in HMS Illustrious along with 815 and 819 Naval Air Squadrons with whom they had been temporarily based at RAF Detling for Operation Dynamo. Illustrious then left for Bermuda in order to work-up the ship's compa