Captain Griffith Charles Evans OBE, 1859-1944, records.

Captain Evans was born in Holywell, North Wales in 1859. He was apprenticed in 1875 to T & J Brocklebank and sailed on his first voyage to India on the Mahanada. In 1885 he transferred to steamships and obtained his first command with Lake Ontario (Beaver Line), eventually commanding all the ships belonging to Beaver Line, including Lake Winnipeg and Lake Huron. He was responsible in 1898 for transporting 4,500 Douklobors from the Baltic Sea direct to Canada on Lake Huron. During World War I he conveyed 71, 000 Canadian and United States troops including Canada’s first Expeditionary Force. In 1918 he was in command of the Missanabie when it was torpedoed and sunk of County Cork, Ireland. He was awarded the OBE for his war service. In 1922 he was the first captain to command the Empress of Scotland after its refit and oil conversion. He was awarded a pair of engraved binoculars in 1923 from the Newfoundland Government for rescuing the crew of the schooner Ida M Cunningham when in command of the Metagama. Captain Evans retired from the sea in 1923 and died at Rhuddlan, North Wales in 1944. The collection comprises of career papers and voyage accounts, especially for Beaver Line and Canadian Pacific vessels including Empress of Scotland. For further details see the attached catalogue or contact The Archives Centre for a copy of the catalogue.