Wilmot Evans was an Old Salopian. He was at Shrewsbury School from 1903 to 1909. His School House was Haydon’s now Rigg’s Hall. Captain C.W. Evans MC is remembered by the School among those who were killed in the First World War.
We have a number of photographs and a small engraved pewter tankard relating to Wilmot’s interest in sports during his school years.
An engraving on the tankard reads ‘Shrewsbury School. Junior Fives Doubles Mar 1905 won by C.W. Evans’.
Wilmot Evans coxing with Shrewsbury School Eight, c. 1905
Shrewsbury School, c. 1908. Standing from left – C.W. Evans, Mr W.D. Haydon, W. Milligan, sitting right – J.A. Hartcup
The two photographs above are marked ‘Gillman & Co, Oxford’ on the front and have a note on the back written by Wilmot’s sister Molly. The first one of Shrewsbury School Eight with Wilmot coxing was possibly taken in 1905 when he was a member of the School Crew. The second is a group portrait dating to about 1908. We can name 4 out of 6 people on the photograph – they are Wilmot Evans, William Milligan, John Archibald Hartcup and their Housemaster Mr Walter Dodsworth Haydon.
The photographic post card below was sent to Molly on the 3 Jul 1909. In his note on the reverse Wilmot mentioned ‘Chimp’ Dashwood and Milligan as well as a very tall Bedford boy: ‘Look at the height of the youth on my right’.
Bedford v Shrewsbury 1909. C.W. Evans is sitting on the left with R.R. Dashwood and W. Milligan standing in back row second and fourth
Molly definitely knew Wilmot’s school friends personally and even was in correspondence with a few of them. There are post cards addressed to her from ‘Chimp’ (Richard Raikes) Dashwood and John Fritz Kivas Dobbs. Also she mentioned John Hunt Thursfield and Robert Michael Grazebrook.
Source
- J.E. Auden: Shrewsbury School register, 1734-1908, Oswestry, Woodall 1909