Owen Evans and his brother Llewellyn were working with the Friends Ambulance Unit in southern China. They were sent to Hong Kong on doctor's advice for rest. Llewellyn managed to get out of Hong Kong just in time but Owen was trapped.
After the surrender he volunteered to stay out of camp and act as a driver, working in difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions. He also worked with the destitute during this period. He probably entered Stanley around October 1942.
I do indeed know a little about Owen Evans of the Friends Ambulance Unit. I can quote from the memoirs of a New Zealand, Lindsay Crozier who was the FAU's official photographer and presumably took the picture below. Of his time in Hankow he wrote as follows... 'One of the unit members who called in at Hankow was Owen Evans. He was a quiet Welshman who had been captured in Hong Kong while on FAU business.
He refused to try to escape, believing he could be of support to his fellow prisoners. As soon as he was released from the internment camp, he made his way up north to join the unit. [FAU.] As Bob McClure says in his biography [Scott Monroe, "The China Years of Dr Bob McClure", 1977. McClure was the FAU's first and very charismatic leader.], "A man with loads of courage, never gets down, never gives up, and never any recriminations - one of the most humorous and humble men I have ever met... He makes a trail of friends wherever he goes. Few people whom I know have given up as much to do as great a service to their fellow men as Owen Evans". Owen was one of those who radiated goodness and a strength which came from his deep Christian convictions.'
Thanks very much for this fascinating information. Yes, a wonderful triibute and by all accounts deserved.
I'd very much like to know if Dr. Fehily’s claim that Selwyn-Clarke had him deprived of his official position (probably around September 1942) is true, and if so why it was done. It seems that this might have led to his entering Stanley Camp. He seems to have been doing valuable work 'in town' up until then.
My speculations above were wrong. Owen Evans did not enter Stanley in October 1942 but on May 7, 1943 alongside other people who had been living at St. Paul's Hospital. This was in the wake of Dr. Selwyn-Clarke's arrest on May 2.
The incident referred to by Dr. Fehily in which Selwyn-Clarke managed to deprive Owen Evans of his official position still remains a mystery.
Comments
Owen Evans and his brother
Owen Evans and his brother Llewellyn were working with the Friends Ambulance Unit in southern China. They were sent to Hong Kong on doctor's advice for rest. Llewellyn managed to get out of Hong Kong just in time but Owen was trapped.
After the surrender he volunteered to stay out of camp and act as a driver, working in difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions. He also worked with the destitute during this period. He probably entered Stanley around October 1942.
Further information:
https://jonmarkgreville2.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/more-on-owen-evans-in…
https://jonmarkgreville2.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/thomass-work-3-outsid…
Owen Evans post-WW2
Andrew Hicks writes:
I do indeed know a little about Owen Evans of the Friends Ambulance Unit. I can quote from the memoirs of a New Zealand, Lindsay Crozier who was the FAU's official photographer and presumably took the picture below. Of his time in Hankow he wrote as follows... 'One of the unit members who called in at Hankow was Owen Evans. He was a quiet Welshman who had been captured in Hong Kong while on FAU business.
He refused to try to escape, believing he could be of support to his fellow prisoners. As soon as he was released from the internment camp, he made his way up north to join the unit. [FAU.] As Bob McClure says in his biography [Scott Monroe, "The China Years of Dr Bob McClure", 1977. McClure was the FAU's first and very charismatic leader.], "A man with loads of courage, never gets down, never gives up, and never any recriminations - one of the most humorous and humble men I have ever met... He makes a trail of friends wherever he goes. Few people whom I know have given up as much to do as great a service to their fellow men as Owen Evans". Owen was one of those who radiated goodness and a strength which came from his deep Christian convictions.'
What a wonderful tribute to him.
Thanks very much for this
Thanks very much for this fascinating information. Yes, a wonderful triibute and by all accounts deserved.
I'd very much like to know if Dr. Fehily’s claim that Selwyn-Clarke had him deprived of his official position (probably around September 1942) is true, and if so why it was done. It seems that this might have led to his entering Stanley Camp. He seems to have been doing valuable work 'in town' up until then.
Thanks again.
Owen Evans update
My speculations above were wrong. Owen Evans did not enter Stanley in October 1942 but on May 7, 1943 alongside other people who had been living at St. Paul's Hospital. This was in the wake of Dr. Selwyn-Clarke's arrest on May 2.
The incident referred to by Dr. Fehily in which Selwyn-Clarke managed to deprive Owen Evans of his official position still remains a mystery.