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PO. Evan Thomas Ellis
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Collingwood Battallion
from:20 Acton Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
Evan Ellis joined the RNVR on 4th October 1914 as an Ordinary Seaman and was attached to HMS Victory Barracks in Portsmouth. Evan had previously been at sea in the merchant navy for 4 years and it is because of this experience that he very rapidly rose to the rank of Petty Officer by 12th December 1914. In early February he joined the Collingwood Battalion of RND that underwent basic infantry training at Blandford Camp in Dorset. He was made 2nd I/c of "B" Company 3rd Platoon.
On 10th May 1915 the Collingwood Battalion embarked on the HM Transport Ship Ivernia at Devonport and sailed on 12th for the Dardanelles. The ship stopped briefly at Gibraltar and Malta arriving at Mudros Harbour on 23rd May. During the next week the Collingwood Battalion underwent further field operational training in order to acclimatise to the searing heat.
On 29th May the Battalion embarked on lighters to be transported to Cape Helles where they disembarked via the legendary River Clyde and to trenches some 1.5 miles inland. During the next few days the Collingwood Battalion was to come under light mortar shell attack but suffered no casualties. All was to change on 4th June during a sustained battle for in which the Collingwood Battalion suffered heavy casualties. This became known as the 3rd Battle of Krithia. The Battalion lost 16 officers and over 500 men were killed or wounded. Evan Ellis survived this day, leading the remains of his platoon to safety after Lt. Watts, the platoon commander, was seriously wounded.
Two days later on 6th June the Battalion came under further attack and Evan recieved a serious wound from a mortar shrapnel that lodged in his lower back. He was transferred to battle dressing station and on to a casualty clearing Center before embarking on the hospital ship and evacuated to one of the many Military Hospitals that had been set up in Malta.
Evan returned to England and was treated at Chatham RNH but was declared unfit for further service because of his injury. Evan was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He also received the Silver War Badge recognising his injuries. Evan Ellis served as a War Reserve Police Officer during WW2 and died in 1970 at the age of 81.
