Conrad Cromer Evans

This story and photo is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Pete Colley, Curator, Wickenby Museum. Additional information from the WWII Records and Service Files of War Dead, Libraries and Archives, Canada

Remembering Conrad Cromer Evans, Sgt, air bomber, Royal Canadian Air Force, son of Conrad Cromer Evans and Violet Marjorie Evans (née Yates), of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. He was killed on his 2nd mission attacking Saintes.

Conrad was born on 26 May 1922 at St. John, New Brunswick. His father was a Director born in Limerick, Ireland, and his mother was born in Bristol, England. He had a brother, Lt. R. F. Evans, who was in the Canadian Army in England. Between 1929-1937 he went to public schools in England and after the family moved to Canada he went to West Hill High, Montreal from 1937-1939 (Grade 12) and Northern Vocational from 1939-1941 (Industrial). His sport interests were mainly tennis and golf but also liked swimming and ping pong. On leaving school, Conrad worked at the Northern Electric Co. from 1941-1942.

On 21 August 1942 Conrad enlisted and was later posted to the U.K. on completion of his training in Canada. He embarked for the U.K. on 26 August 1943 arriving at 3PRC on 2 September 1943. From there he went to 1 (0) AFU on 2 November 1943, 81 OTU 12 December 1943, 30 OTU 31 December 1943, 11 Base 31 March 1944 and 12 Squadron on 8 June 1944. Very sadly later that month on 24 June, Conrad was to lose his life.

They took off on their third sortie at 22.20 hrs on the night of 23rd June but as they approached the target area a night fighter, piloted by Ofw. Hermann Stahler, raked their Lancaster with canon fire, sending it crashing into the sea off St Nazaire.

At first Conrad was reported missing after air operations and letters in his service record show the efforts the family went to get confirmation of his death. His brother was serving in the 2nd Canadian Infantry Training Regiment, based in England. On the 10th December 1944, he wrote to the Records Officer RCAF (Overseas) Casualties for information about him as it had been five months since he was reported missing but they had had no further information about him.

"It would be much appreciated if the writer could be informed immediately it is convenient to do so, concerning his whereabouts etc, when such information is received by you - preferably prior to notifying my parents - this is their wishes as well as mine. Any information you could give me concerning him would be much appreciated at the present moment, and would do much to allay the anxiety of my family."

In 1946 they discovered a photo of prisoners being taken on stetchers from a POW camp and one of them looked like Conrad. However, the checks showed that the camp was a German POW camp for Russian and Polish POWs situated in Mappen, north-western Germany and that it could not be Conrad.