Alfred Frank Evans
| Alfred Frank Evans | |
|---|---|
|
Alfred Evans aged 19, 1906. | |
| Born |
3 February 1887 Southampton, England, United Kingdom |
| Died |
1 February 1964 (aged 76) Southampton, England, UK |
| Occupation | Seaman, Sailor |
| Known for | Titanic survivor |
Alfred Frank Evans (3 February 1887 – 1 February 1964) was a British sailor who worked as a lookout on board the ill-fated RMS Titanic. Evans was 25 at the time of the sinking of the ship. He, along with Fireman Frank Dymond, was put in charge of lifeboat 15, which was lowered away at around 1:40am.
Early life and Titanic
Evans was born in Southampton, England, the son of Charles Evans and Elizabeth (née Russell). In July 1906, at age 19, he joined the Royal Naval Reserve. Prior to joining the crew of the Titanic, he had served on board the RMS Oceanic from October 1911 to March 1912.
On 14 April 1912, Evans and fellow lookout George Hogg were on duty during the 6pm—8pm shift and both were sleeping when the ship collided with the iceberg at 11:40pm. Both, along with other shipmates, rushed up to boat deck and both Evans and Hogg relieved Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee at the nest at 12am, about twenty minutes after the collision. They stayed there for a further twenty minutes and then went down to boat deck to help. Hogg was one of the first to leave the Titanic on board lifeboat 7 which was lowered away at 12:45am. Meanwhile, Evans stayed on the ship, helping women and children to get onto lifeboats.
After awaiting further orders and wandering on deck, he received order from First Officer William McMaster Murdoch and Sixth Officer James Paul Moody to join the crew of lifeboat 15. The boat was lowered away at 1:40am and was picked by the RMS Carpathia at around 7:20am. It was the second-to-last boat to be rescued by the Carpathia.
Later life
From September 1913 to April 1914, Evans worked in the Southampton dockyards, making several voyages with the RMS Olympic. After the outbreak of the First World War, he was assigned to the HMS Victory until his war service was demobilised in February 1919. He then received and was awarded with the Star and Clasp, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Between 1920 and 1921, he worked for Harland & Wolff at the Southampton dockyards. In April 1921 he applied to rejoin the Royal Naval Reserve but was rejected due to health issues.
He continued to work at dockyards until a fall forced him to retire. He died in Southampton on 1 February 1964. He chose to never speak about the sinking of the Titanic.