"Lt-Col Dick Evans, who has died aged 92, was awarded a Military Cross in Italy in 1944 while serving with the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. In February 1944, Evans was in the Anzio beachhead serving as adjutant of the 1st Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (1 KSLI). Their position was under relentless shelling. A railway gun, known as “Anzio Archie”, was particularly troublesome; the high explosive shell weighed 550lb and had a range of 30 miles. Infiltration by the Germans was continuous. On the night of February 7, a captured German officer shouted as he was being led away: “Do a Dunkirk while you still have time!” At dusk the next day it was reported that two rifle companies had been pinned down by machine-gun fire and most of their officers had become casualties. Evans was sent forward in darkness and pouring rain with orders to contact them. This was a most hazardous assignment because the companies’ exact location was not known and they were still in close contact with the enemy. Evans found them, however, reorganised their defences and, by morning, they were ready to face the enemy again. The citation for the award of an MC paid tribute to Evan’s courage, cheerfulness and determination during 15 days of bitter fighting. Richard Evans was born at Eyton, Herefordshire, on January 15 1920 and educated at Stowe and Worcester College, Oxford, where he read Agriculture; he played rugby and tennis for his college." Lt-Col Dick Evans - Telegraph
