Clive Walter Richard Evans (1897 - 1940)

Born 1897 in Ararat, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 21 Feb 1940 at about age 43 in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Clive was born in 1897 in Ararat, VIC, the son of Edward Evans and his wife Emily, nee Harricks.

He attended Church of England Grammar School.^[1]

Clive trained as an engineer. He worked for the Ararat Borough Council as an assistant engineer in an electricity power station for 5 years. He broke his leg in a workpplace accident while working there in 1914.^[2] It appears he was not compensated for the accident, with the Council denying liability.^[3] Around 1914 he worked 2 years with Grampians Amus Co. P/L as an engineer, maintaining petrol and oil engines. This was followed (around 1915) by 6 months with the Home Affairs Department as an electrical fitter, installing electric motors. He then worked 10 months at the Seymour Army Camp as a civilian engineer, erecting and running oil engines and hot water systems and to Aug 1917 he had been Engineer-in-charge at Toora Foster Electric Supply Co., a hydro-electric plant, for 4 months.

He was a qualified electrical engineer with an I.C.S. Diploma.

On 09 Aug 1917, Clive applied to become an Australian Munitions Worker, to work in the UK under a joint Australian government/ British government scheme to supply skilled workers for munitions work. At the time he was single and living in Ararat. He added he had considerable experience with motor cars and cycles and was a qualified driver.

He was accepted and his agreement was signed on 02 Nov 1917. He was issued with Australian Munitions Worker Badge No. 3479 and embarked on the SS "Demosthenes" from Sydney on 10 Nov 1917, disembarking in Glasgow, Scotland on 31 Dec 1917.

On 07 Jan 1918 he commenced work at Nieuport Aircraft Factory in Cricklewood, England as a fitter. Later that month he was seeking to apply to join the Royal Flying Corps. He was offered a Commission in Feb 1918 and sought advice on whether he would still be eligible for free return passage to Australia. Official advice took until Apr 1918, which was that he would forfeit that right if he terminated the contract. It appears he did not accept the Commission and continued to work as a munitions worker at Nieuport.

In Oct 1918 he wrote enquiring about an offer he had received to work in the Malay States after the War. The official response was that the Australian government would not be interested in assisting. In Dec 1918 he asked for a deferral of his repatriation as he had been offered a position with a firm of consulting engineers. Again, authorities were unsupportive. It appears he took the job anyway because by May 1919 he was working for Messrs. Ironside, Son & Co. of Gracechurch St, E.C. who were offering him a position in East Africa, to open a Branch Office, and sought approval to defer repatriation so that he could gain experience. It was only in Jul 1919 that authorities in London sought permission from the Minister for a deferral. Conditional approval was granted in a few weeks. It does not appear he ever took up the positon in East Africa.

In Oct 1919 he advised he had become engaged to Beatrice Elizabeth Everidge and seeking assistance with arranging her passage to Australia. He planned to marry her before departing. Passage was arranged, with him to pay initially and be reimbursed when he produced a marriage certificate. He later told authorities they were married as she was to travel separately on a different ship, but they weren't at that time.

Clive returned to Australia, departing England on 25 Mar 1920 and disembarking at Port Melbourne from the SS "Berrima" on 14 May 1920. His agreement was terminated the same day.

Clive was working as an electrical engineer at the tin mine in Waratah, Tasmania from Aug 1920 and was still there at the end of 1921. It seems Beatrice was also there.^[4]

Clive married Beatrice in Adelaide, South Australia on 11 Oct 1921. There were no children.

In 1930 he filed an Australian Patent for improvements in and connected with dry cell batteries.^[5]

In 1932 he was fined for speeding in St Kilda.^[6]

Clive and Beatrice lived in Brighton, VIC. He was the managing director of Widdis Diamond Dry Cells P/L. In 1932 the firm was in West Melbourne^[7], but at the time of his death they were in South Melbourne.

Clive died at a private hospital in East Melbourne in 1940.

Sources

1. ↑ ARARAT. (1906, November 16). The Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 - 1924), p. 6. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206491233
2. ↑ Workplace accident - No title (1914, June 3). Ararat Chronicle and Willaura and Lake Bolac Districts Recorder (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 2. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article159416108
3. ↑ ARARAT BOROUGH COUNCIL. (1914, September 10). The Ararat Advertiser (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 3 (triweekly). Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74237537
4. ↑ WARATAH. (1921, December 17). Advocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69320463
5. ↑ Applications for patents, single number series with year suffix - National Archives of Australia - Application for Letters Patent for an invention by Clive Walter Evans titled - Improvements in and connected with dry cell batteries (Paper file); Location: Canberra; Item ID: 4219067
6. ↑ JUSTICE AND HARD TIMES (1932, April 22). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242792839
7. ↑ THE TARIFF. (1932, November 9). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 12. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204298638

• Birth - Victoria BDM Birth index - Event: births; Registration number: 155 / 1897; Family name: EVANS; Given name(s): Clive Walt Richd; Place of event: ARARAT, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Emily; Mother's family name at birth: HARRICKS; Father's Name: Edwd

• WW1 Australian Munitions Worker Service File - National Archives of Australia - EVANS Clive Walter - Munitions Worker Number 3479 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6419854

• Marriage - genealogysa.org.au - South Australian BDM Marriage index - EVANS Clive Walter; Beatrice Elizabeth; Adelaide; 289/129; 1921

• Death - Victoria BDM Death index - Event: deaths; Registration number: 1880 / 1940; Family name: EVANS; Given name(s): Clive Walter; Place of event: MELBOURNE EAST, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Emily; Mother's family name at birth: HARRICKS; Father's Name: EVANS Edward

• Death Notice - Family Notices (1940, February 22). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204007259

• Obituary - Death of Mr. C. W. Evans (1940, February 22). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved June 7, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204007330