Arthur Reginald Evans, DSC (14 May 1905 – 31 January 1989) was an Australian coastwatcher in the Pacific Ocean theatre in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He is chiefly remembered for having played a significant part in the rescue of future US President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

and his surviving crew after their motor torpedo boat, '' PT-109'', was sunk by the Japanese in August 1943.

Early life

Evans was born in Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, on 14 May 1905, the oldest of three children to parents Stuart and Edith. Interested in being a sailor, after high school, he was rejected for a cadetship at the

naval college A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...

, so joined as a senior cadet in the local militia instead, eventually becoming a second lieutenant. In 1929, he went to

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

as the assistant manager of a coconut plantation. He later returned to Sydney and worked for the shipping company,

Burns Philp Burns Philp (properly Burns, Philp & Co, Limited) was once a major Australian shipping line and merchant that operated in the South Pacific. When the well-populated islands around New Guinea were targeted for blackbirding in the 1880s, a new ...

, and worked as a manager for them in the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

for the next decade.

Military career

After the outbreak of

in Europe, he returned to Australia to enlist in the navy in 1940 but was knocked back. On 25 July 1940, Evans enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and served with the 2/9th Army Field Regiment,

Royal Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's first ...

, becoming a

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

Class 2. After sailing to the Middle East in 1941 with the AIF, when the Pacific war started, his unit was recalled to defend Australia. After suffering a bout of malaria, he applied for a transfer to the navy. He was discharged from the AIF on 9 October 1942, and two days later was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in the

Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RANVR) was a reserve force of the Royal Australian Navy. Formation In late 1920, the Navy Board proposed the creation of an Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve scheme, with approaches made to yac ...

(RANVR). He was quickly assigned to serve in the secretive Coast Watch Organisation since his knowledge of the Solomon Islands meant he was of value to Naval Intelligence. In his new role, he was sent to Guadalcanal in December 1942 for further training. He then covertly manned an observation post atop Mount Veve volcano on Kolombangara, a small circular volcanic island, with the aid of local Melanesian guides. Here, he observed the airstrips and the 10,000 Japanese soldiers who were camped at Vila, on the island's southeastern tip. In May 1943, he was joined by Frank Nash, an American sent to assist him, so, in order to increase the area observed, he requested a relocation to nearby Gomu Island across the Blackett Strait.

''PT-109'' incident

In the moonless early hours of 2 August 1943, as Evans was planning to leave for Gomu, they spotted the explosion of

's boat '' PT-109'', although they did not realise at the time it was an Allied loss. However, at 9:30 am he received and decoded the Playfair-encrypted message, "PT Boat 109 lost in action in Blackett Strait two miles SW Meresu Cove. Crew of twelve. Request any information." Evans dispatched one of his five teams of Solomon Islander scouts, Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana, in dugout canoes to locate the crew. Finally on 5 August, they located the survivors and returned to

Rendova Rendova is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea. Geography Rendova Island is a roughly rectangularly-shaped island, located in the South Pacific in the New Georgia Islands. The l ...

with a message written on a coconut. It read:

NAURO ISL COMMANDER NATIVE KNOWS POS'IT HE CAN PILOT 11 ALIVE NEED SMALL BOAT KENNEDY

On 6 August, Evans then sent another canoe with fresh fish, yams, potatoes, corned beef hash, and rice to Kennedy and his crew with a message stating:

To Senior Officer, Naru Is. Friday 11 pm. Have just learnt of your presence on Naru Is. and also that two natives have taken news to Rendova. I strongly advise you return immediately to here in this canoe and by the time you arrive here I will be in radio communication with authorities at Rendova and we can finalise plans to collect balance your party. (signed) A. R. Evans Lt. R.A.N.V.R. Will warn aviation of your crossing Ferguson Passage.

Kennedy reluctantly returned with the scouts in their canoe, hidden under palm fronds, as Japanese planes patrolled overhead. On Gomu, Evans was waiting at the beach and around 6 pm the two met. He suggested Kennedy proceed to Rendova with some natives but this was rejected. The next morning, he then contacted PT headquarters in Rendova and coordinated the rescue efforts via encrypted messages until ''PT-157'' collected Kennedy. With Kennedy aboard, ''PT-157'' rescued the other crew members on Olasana Island in the early morning of 8 August, after dispatching rowing boats to pick them up.

Post-war

Evans continued in his service. He was discharged from the navy in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

on 16 May 1946, afterwards becoming an accountant for a firm in Sydney. Although Evans' letter to Kennedy was kept after the rescue, his identity remained obscure in the media for the next 17 years as his name from the signature was misread, and other details obscured during the war to protect his identity. Searches for him eventually narrowed the possible candidates, and his identity was confirmed after a congratulatory card he sent for the 1961

presidential inauguration A presidential inauguration is a ceremonial event centered on the formal transition of a new president into office, usually in democracies where this official has been elected. Frequently, this involves the swearing of an oath of office. Examples o ...

was matched by a handwriting expert to the letter. Evans was then invited to the US, and met with PT-boat veterans in New York in April 1961, and with Kennedy, visiting the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

on 1 May. Earlier, the scouts Gasa and Kumana had been invited to attend his inauguration, but were prevented from attending. While in the US, Evans also appeared on various TV shows and was interviewed by several newspapers. In 1961,

Robert J. Donovan Robert John Donovan (August 21, 1912 – August 8, 2003) was a Washington correspondent, author and presidential historian. He died from complications from stroke. Biography Donovan attended Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New York, where he ...

interviewed Evans for his 1961 book ''PT-109: John F. Kennedy in World War II''. Evans was also mentioned by name in 1962 in

Jimmy Dean Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV commercials. He became ...

's " PT-109" song. In 1962, he returned to the Solomons along with celebrity Jack Paar and was able to reunite with his scout friends. He became best known via the 1963 film '' PT-109'', a

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

adaptation of Donovan's book, where he was portrayed by Australian Michael Pate. In the film, it was remarked what kind of a job it would be: "it's a lonely job, if he's found, that's how he's going to die". After the death of Kennedy, the framed letter (and the famous coconut message) was sent to the president's library. In 1973,

Walter Lord John Walter Lord Jr. (October 8, 1917 – May 19, 2002) was an American author, lawyer, copywriter and popular historian best known for his 1955 account of the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'', '' A Night to Remember''. Biography Early life Lor ...

met Evans while researching his 1977 coastwatcher book, ''Lonely Vigil''. He also was featured in a 2002 National Geographic special, '' The Search for Kennedy's PT 109'' and in the 2010 Patrick Lindsay book, ''The Coast Watchers, Behind Enemy Lines: The Men Who Saved the Pacific''. He also appeared in the 2015 William Doyle book, '' PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy.''

Personal life

Evans met Getrude Slaney Poole, an amateur actor from Adelaide, who was working in the Solomons in the late 1930s as a secretary to a female lawyer. The couple married in August 1940, three weeks after he joined the army. Gertrude died on 24 June 1963, a month prior to the ''PT-109'' film's Australian premiere. No mention was made of children in the funeral notice. Evans later remarried another woman, Fran, who also predeceased him. He died aged 84 on 31 January 1989.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II Special forces of Australia John F. Kennedy 1989 deaths 1905 births Royal Australian Navy officers Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers People from Sydney