Arthur Reginald Evans
Encyclopedia
Arthur Reginald Evans was a shipping clerk at Paddington, a suburb of Sydney, when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 25 July 1940. He was allotted service number NX57823 and served with the 2/9th Army Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery until discharged on 9 October 1942 as a Warrant Officer Class 2.
He was born in Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
. The Naval Board in 1922 set up coastwatching organisation that was operated through the Naval Intelligence Division. Originally confined to mainland Australia it was expanded to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands at the outbreak of war in 1939. Evans who had worked in the Solomon Islands was recruited by the Coastwatchers and was commissioned a sub lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RANVR
) on 11 October 1942.
Sub-Lieutenant
Arthur Reginald Evans DSC
secretly manned an observation post atop Kolombangara
island while over 10,000 Japanese soldiers were camped at Vila, Solomon Islands, on the southeastern tip of the same circular volcanic island.
Evans spotted the explosion of John F. Kennedy
's boat PT-109
during World War II
on 2 August 1943, but did not realize at the time it was an Allied
loss. Evans later received and decoded the message that the PT-109 was missing, and he dispatched Solomon Islander scouts Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana
in dugout canoes to find the crew.
Evans met with John F. Kennedy after he became President of the United States
, visiting the White House
on 1 May 1961. He died at age 84 on 31 January 1989.
's "PT-109
" song, the Warner Brothers PT-109
movie, in which he was portrayed by Michael Pate
, and a 2002 National Geographic special, The Search for Kennedy's PT 109
.. In the 1963 movie, it was remarked what kind of a job it would be: "it's a lonely job, if he's found, that's how he's going to die".
"Meeting with A.R. "Reg" Evans, the Australian coast watcher who helped rescue the crew of PT 109 in 1943"
He was born in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The Naval Board in 1922 set up coastwatching organisation that was operated through the Naval Intelligence Division. Originally confined to mainland Australia it was expanded to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands at the outbreak of war in 1939. Evans who had worked in the Solomon Islands was recruited by the Coastwatchers and was commissioned a sub lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RANVR
RANVR
Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve is a defunct reserve force of the Royal Australian Navy. The current Royal Australian Naval Reserve was formed in June 1973, from a merger of the RANVR and the RANR ....
) on 11 October 1942.
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
Arthur Reginald Evans DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
secretly manned an observation post atop Kolombangara
Kolombangara
Kolombangara is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean...
island while over 10,000 Japanese soldiers were camped at Vila, Solomon Islands, on the southeastern tip of the same circular volcanic island.
Evans spotted the explosion of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's boat PT-109
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109
PT-109 was a PT boat last commanded by Lieutenant, junior grade John F. Kennedy in the Pacific Theater during World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on 2 August 1943, but did not realize at the time it was an Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
loss. Evans later received and decoded the message that the PT-109 was missing, and he dispatched Solomon Islander scouts Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana
Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana
Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana were indigenous people of Solomon Islands, of native Melanesian descent, who found John F. Kennedy and his surviving PT-109 crew following the boat's collision with the Japanese destroyer Amagiri near Plum Pudding Island on 1 August 1943...
in dugout canoes to find the crew.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, visiting the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
on 1 May 1961. He died at age 84 on 31 January 1989.
Popular culture
Evans would be mentioned by name in Jimmy DeanJimmy Dean
Jimmy Ray Dean was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national television personality starting in 1957, rising to fame for his 1961 country crossover hit "Big Bad...
's "PT-109
PT-109 (song)
PT-109 was a song by Jimmy Dean about the adventures of John F. Kennedy and the crew of the PT-109. The boat was famous even before Kennedy ran for office because it was cut in two after being rammed by a Japanese destroyer, after which came a survival story, and rescue by native islanders Biuku...
" song, the Warner Brothers PT-109
PT 109 (film)
PT 109 is a 1963 biographical film which depicts the actions of John F. Kennedy in command of Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 as an officer of the United States Navy during World War II. The movie was adapted by Vincent Flaherty and Howard Sheehan from the book PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II by...
movie, in which he was portrayed by Michael Pate
Michael Pate
Michael Pate was an Australian actor, writer and director.-Early life:He was born Edward John Pate in Drummoyne, Sydney...
, and a 2002 National Geographic special, The Search for Kennedy's PT 109
The Search for Kennedy's PT 109
The Search for Kennedy's PT 109 is a National Geographic television special and video. It documents the original story of John F. Kennedy's PT 109 from World War II, and the project of Dr. Robert Ballard's successful search for the wreck of the boat...
.. In the 1963 movie, it was remarked what kind of a job it would be: "it's a lonely job, if he's found, that's how he's going to die".
External links
- JFK Library Diary 1 May 1961 11:57 a.m - 12:20 p.m.
"Meeting with A.R. "Reg" Evans, the Australian coast watcher who helped rescue the crew of PT 109 in 1943"