EVANS, Lyle Alexander

NAME                   EVANS           Lyle Alexander
RANK                   Trooper           105434                                                                                                                    REGIMENT          1st Canadian Army  -  4th Canadian Armoured Division                                                                                              29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment - South Alberta Regiment                                                                        “always swift”
                             Royal Canadian Armoured Corp                                                                                                    Born                     September 16, 1922 - Brussels - Grey and Morris Townships - County of Huron          Residence            Brussels                                                                                                                                  Died                      March 7, 1945          22 years   6 months
Cemetery             Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery - Groesbeek - Gelderland - Netherlands
                             IV B 12
Parents                Mr. Charles and Annabelle Evans - Brussels                                                                      Brothers               Harry - Brussels                                                                                                                    Sisters                  Margaret and Mary Evans - Brussels

Lyle was born in Brussels on September 16, 1922 and he lived and grew up in/near Brussels. He earned his income as a farmer. The Evans family attended Melville Presbyterian Church.

Canada

He enlisted into the Canadian Army on December 1, 1942 in London. At the time of enlistment he stood 5' 9" tall and weighed 138 pounds. He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and brown hair. He was given the rank of Private. He was first attached to No. 1 District Depot in London until he was posted to No. 13 Basic Training Centre om December 19 in Listowel.                                                                                                                      On February 23, 1943 he was posted to No. 8 Canadian Advanced Training Centre at Camp Borden and the following day he was given the rank of Trooper. He then qualified as a Class III Driver of wheeled vehicles. On May 8 Trooper Evans qualified as an instructor of tracked vehicles. On May 20 he was posted to A33 Canadian Armoured Corps Training Establishment Camp and it was here on August 9 when he qualified as Driver for tracked vehicles Class III. A day later he was posted to No. 1 Canadian Armoured Corp Training Centre - Special Reserve at Camp Borden. On October 8 he is Taken on Service with the Canadian Forces Overseas. On October 22 he was Struck off Service of the Canadian Army in Canada and embarked from Canada for overseas. The following day at sea he was Taken on Service with the Canadian Army overseas. A week later on October 29 he disembarked in the United Kingdom. On October 30 he is Taken on Service with No. 1 Canadian Armoured Corps Reinforcement Unit. On November 14 Trooper Evans is attached to No. 1 Canadian Ordnance Reinforcement Unit.                                                                                                                                                  During January of 1944 he takes further training on the 303 Lee Enfield Rifle, on the Sten gun, grenade training,  on the Bren gun and PIAT. On February 24, 1944 Trooper Evans was Taken on Service with the 29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment and 6 months later on July 20 he embarks from the United Kingdom and disembarks in France on July 22. On August 27 he receives wounds to the head and he admitted to No. 15 Canadian Field Ambulance. That same day he goes to No. 5 Field Dressing Station. He then goes to No. 75 British General Hospital and is well enough to go to the United Kingdom for additional care.  On August 29 he is admitted to No. 23 Canadian General Hospital in the United Kingdom and is discharged on September 21. On November 23 he is admitted to No 3 Canadian Medical Centre and then Trooper Evans goes to No. 1 Canadian Special Hospital and he is discharged from this facility on November 27.                                                                                            Trooper Evans is able to return to his unit and on January 5, 1945 he embarks from the United Kingdom and again disembarks in France on January 6. On January 23 he was Taken on Service with E Squadron with the      25 Canadian Armoured Delivery Regiment and two weeks later on February 6 he is Taken on Service with the 29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment                                                                                            The Sherman tank was the tank of choice of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corp because of the mobility it
possessed. However, it was not able to absorb the punishment of the German tanks or their anti-tank guns.
The range of the German tanks guns was 4x that of the Sherman with the 75mm gun.
On March 6th at Sonsbeck-Veen in Germany the battle that took place was fierce and bloody and the
German resistance was fanatical. The South Albertas were south of Kirjel on March 7tth , and as the day progressed “A” Squadron would send 2 Troop forward toward Veen with additional troops moving forward as needed. “C” Squadron would remain stationary and shell the town until 16:00 hours. “B” Squadron would shell Pidgeon and March and when the Infantry attack was to go in the fire from the tanks would be lifted and concentrated on the woods of Keaton North. “A” Squadron was then to send 2 Troop with the right hand infantry and 3 Troop with the left hand infantry. It did not take much time at all for them to come under very heavy German artillery and mortar shelling and this pinned down both the armour and the infantry. The shelling was coming from the east side of March. 3 Troop had lost one tank and 2 Troop had to contend with the crossroads being mined and to push a booby - trapped jeep out of the way. They also had a tank hit and another in flames along with one immobilized. At 7:30 pm 1 Troop arrived with two out of three tanks and the position was firmed up with the infantry at Pidgeon. Now, a German anti-tank gun on the edge of the woods had pinned down the tanks and they could not maneuver to engage this threat. Even artillery could not budge or silence the gun totally. Later 4 troop sent two tanks to assist with the situation. Lieutenant Fraser (MC) of the Algonquins tried to knock out an enemy machine and was killed in trying to do so. Trooper Evans apparently left his tank, rushed out and tried to rescue Lt. Fraser not knowing he had already lost his life. Trooper Evans picked him up and carried him to the cover of a farmhouse. Apparently just as he got to the kitchen a mortar shell exploded in the nearby orchard and a fragment zipped through the window striking Trooper Evans in the head killing him immediately.
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On March 10th Padre Wilcox entered the farmhouse in search of Trooper Evans and found him on the
kitchen floor lying across a heap of cartridges. The burial party was putting his personal belongings into a
little white bag, and these would be sent home to his parents in Brussels. Padre Wilcox would personally
take time to write the family of Trooper Evans as he did with every man who lost his life. It was not until March 9th that the Canadians finally took control of the town of Veen.                                                                            Trooper Evans was originally buried in the German Rhineland Sonsbeck Temporary Military Cemetery.                The Memorial Cross was issued on May 2, 1945 to Lyle's mother Annabelle and then in January of 1950 she received the medals awarded to Lyle which were the 1939-45 Star, the France Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.                                                    Lyle is honoured and remembered on the Brussels Cenotaph, on the Memorial Plaque of Melville Presbyterian Church and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. He is also honoured and remembered at the Military Museums - Calgary - Alberta.