Kenneth Roy Evans enlisted with the 48th Highlanders (Militia) on 07 July 1938. When war was declared in September 1939, he, along with almost ¾ of the battalion stepped forward to enroll for overseas duty. He received the service number B72573 and was assigned to B Company. He, with the battalion, boarded a CN train in Toronto on 17 December 1939 for Halifax and embarked on the Reina del Pacifico as part of the 1st Canadian contingent to go overseas. They disembarked at Gourock, Scotland on 30 December and went by train to Aldershot, Corunna Barracks to continue training.

Records for December 1940 show him receiving 5 days leave. The timing indicates that he was on the Foray to France from 13 to 16 June 1940 when the battalion was sent by Prime Minister Churchill into France, two weeks after the evacuation of the British/Allied army from the beaches of Dunkerque. The 48th penetrated 300 km into France to Sable-sur-Sarthe before being ordered to return to England.

The next record shows him as L/Cpl being struck off strength from the 48th Highlanders on 8 April 1941 and sent to HQ Canadian Corps.

Family recollections are that he served in Italy then went back to England to participate in the D-Day landings. As we did not find him in any other records, including those of the sailing to Pachino, Sicily, he could have been with another unit at that time, or sailed on the “slow convoy” for which we do not have a sailing list. There were many Officers and NCOs from all the battalions in the 1st Canadian Division in Italy, who had considerable battle experience and were returned to England as part of “Operation Pouch” in the third week of October 1943 to provide their experience to the battalions who were to land in Normandy. (Detailed service records required.)

NOK: mother, Hilda Evans at 19 Virginia Avenue, Toronto