Charles Evans (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir Charles Leo Glandore Evans KCB
CBE
DSO
DSC
(1903 - c.1982) was a Royal Navy
officer who became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
.
in the Royal Air Force
in 1931.
He served in World War II
as Commanding Officer of 806 Naval Air Squadron
based at HMS Sparrowhawk
carrying out bombing attacks on targets around Bergen
in Norway
in May 1940 and providing cover for the Dunkirk evacuation the following month. He continued his war service with HMS Formidable in the Mediterranean becoming Commander of Flying on that aircraft carrier
in the Pacific in 1945.
He was appointed Director of the Naval Air Division in 1950, Commander of the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth
in 1954 and Flag Officer Flying Training in 1956. He went on to be Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers in 1959 and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
in 1960 before retiring in 1962.
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Sir Charles Leo Glandore Evans KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
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...
(1903 - c.1982) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer who became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation , the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe . The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic, based at Norfolk, Virginia...
.
Naval career
Evans initially joined the Royal Navy and was given a temporary commission as a flying officerFlying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in 1931.
He served in 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...
as Commanding Officer of 806 Naval Air Squadron
806 Naval Air Squadron
806 Naval Air Squadron was a fighter squadron in the Fleet Air Arm that existed from February 1940 to December 1960 and saw active service in Norway, the Dunkirk evacuation and the Malta Convoys.-Formation:...
based at HMS Sparrowhawk
RNAS Hatston
RNAS Hatston, also called HMS Sparrowhawk, was a Royal Naval Air Station.It was situated one mile to the north west of Kirkwall on the island of Mainland, Orkney...
carrying out bombing attacks on targets around Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in May 1940 and providing cover for the Dunkirk evacuation the following month. He continued his war service with HMS Formidable in the Mediterranean becoming Commander of Flying on that aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
in the Pacific in 1945.
He was appointed Director of the Naval Air Division in 1950, Commander of the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth
HMNB Portsmouth
Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...
in 1954 and Flag Officer Flying Training in 1956. He went on to be Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers in 1959 and Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation , the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe . The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic, based at Norfolk, Virginia...
in 1960 before retiring in 1962.