b. ? 1857 Rhymney, Monmouthshire. d. 1927 Pontypridd, Wales.
DATE OF EM ACTION: 29/10/1909 Darran Colliery, Deri, Cardiff, Wales.
Evan was born in Rhymney, Monmouthshire in 1857, but little has been traced of his early life. He entered the mining industry at a young age and worked his way up to being an Under Manager at Darran Colliery near Cardiff. He married Mary Ann and they had two children Hannah and James. Sadly his first wife died, and in 1904 he remarried to Elizabeth, and she helped him raise his two children. Little else is known about Evan’s life around the incident which led to the award of the Edward Medal. It is known that he died in 1927 in Pontypridd, aged 70.
EM CITATION:
An explosion of coal-dust occurred at the Darran Colliery, Deri, in the Cardiff district by which twenty-seven persons lost their lives, five succumbing during the rescue operations. Mr Evan Owens, the Under-Manager of the Colliery, Mr Evans, Pit Carpenter, and Mr Edmund Davies, the day fireman, were among the first to enter the mine, and made determined and continued attempts to succour the unfortunate men who had been affected by the explosion. They were at all times seriously affected by the noxious air and only desisted when their services were no longer of any avail.
Dr. Turner, who was the first medical man to reach the mine, displayed great courage by promptly going down the ladders in the upcast and pumping shaft – an awkward descent to any one unacquainted with mining work. He rendered all the assistance he could, and nearly paid for his bravery with his life, as he was severely affected by afterdamp.
BURIAL LOCATION: UNKNOWN.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: PRIVATELY HELD. SOLD AT DNW IN MARCH 2011 FOR £1,750.
