Ellis Evans enlisted name Private 1933 Charles Roberts 2/4th Regiment

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'ZULU WAR VETERAN DEAD. A Zulu War veteran, who served with the East Lancashire Regiment, named Ellis Evans, aged 77, died at Corwen Workhouse yesterday. He was the son of the late Rev. Ellis Evans, Llandrillo, Merionethshire-'

Lancashire Evening Post - Wednesday 08 April 1925

Subject: Ellis Evans Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:50 pm

Many thanks for this - I had been looking for references to this man's death. He served with 2 / 4th (King's Own) as as 1933 'Charles Roberts'; he is of interest to me as no fewer than seven letters by him were published in Welsh in _Y Genedl Gymreig_ telling of his life and work in the laager at Luneburg. Evans gives a moving description of the last service held by the Rev'd Meyer (who gave his name to the drift on the Ntombe river) in a letter to his father, also named Ellis Evans, who was indeed a Methodist Minister in Llandrillo (Merionethshire), as noted in the obituary. Evans Jr. wrote of hearing African Christians singing hymns in their own language:

"I have listened to them many times, and never fail to be moved hearing them singing. Although I could not understand them, while they sang my thoughts swiftly travelled thousands of miles over land and sea, until in my mind's eye I found myself as it were in your midst" [my translation].

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Thank you Ellis, glad I could help.
I have shown his enlisted name alonside his real name in the title above.
He had the SAGS medal with 1879 clasp
Kate Salute

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Thanks again, Kate. I would be happy to send you details of his correspondence in Welsh if that would be useful. In his letters to his minister father, Evans expatiates on his bible-reading and religious observance while in Zululand; however, the service records at Kew tell another side of the story ...

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Hi Ellis
Thank you for the offer but I do not speak the Welsh language.
I would be interested to read them when you have translated them though.
Interestingly I visited and stayed with the missionary's at Luneburg a few years ago and whilst exploring Fort Clery I got speaking to a lady called Lydia Vanwyk who told me of a tunnel that ran under the fort. They used to play in it as children and in the 1960's a German bible was found down there.
Kate

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The tunnel can be seen on this plan

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Fort Clery was built during November 1878 by a detachment of the 90th Regiment. Subsequently the fort was manned by 100 Kaffrarian Rifles under D. Carl Immanuel Muller and then by troops of the 80th, who mounted two 6 pounder guns during their stay. They were relieved by a detachment of the 2/4th, followed once more by the Kaffrarian Rifles

Kate

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