After welcoming everyone to our February meeting, Richard, our Chairman, introduced the Speaker, Julie Greer who, as a Member of the Society, did not need much of an introduction as she is a well-known and popular speaker for the Society. She also admits to having an obsession with this man whom she has spent a lot of time researching and wishes to thank many local people for information, including Sheila Wolf, a relative of Mr Evans, who supplied support and photos, and Sarah our researcher for the family tree connection.

Julie's talk was probably one of the most “local” historical people she has researched in Rhuddlan. His name is Edward Baldwin Evans, born in High Street, Rhuddlan, in 1843 the 13th child in a family of 15. His father, John, was well known in the area particularly for his Welsh culture also as an engraver, schoolmaster, and architect, a much respected man. Edward in his youth left home and was apprenticed to a merchant, starting his travels by following his trade out to the Middle East, It was whilst he was in Africa that he met up with H M Stanley, Mr Livingstone's friend, who denied his Welsh ancestry stating that he was American. Edward frequently wrote articles for the press in Britain, including the Rhyl Advertiser, stating that his original name was John Rowlands, born in Denbigh. Mr Stanley was not a happy man.

Edward had a talent for languages and as such he was in demand as an interpreter, and became appointed as a Vice Consul, in Mecca. This was an unpaid job and eventually, he joined up with the Military who were involved in many disputes in the Middle East at that time. This was the age when the Suez Canal was opened, in 1869. a very important waterway for merchandise and at that time belonged to the Egyptian government.

The many feuds in the area resulted in Evans becoming involved with William Hicks, an Indian ArmyOfficer, known as Hicks Pasha, who had been charged with forming an army to fight the Egyptian cause against the Mahdi. This ended in the defeat at the battle of El Obeid where the Egyptian army was routed by the Madhi. Winston Churchill later described Hick's army as the worst army to ever go to war. It was in this war Edward Evans lost his life and his sisters who he had supported throughout his career, had the obelisk we can see in St Mary's Churchyard built in his memory.

The inscription reads “Major Edward Baldwin Evans was killed while serving as an interpreter and Chief of Intelligence Department with Hicks Pasha's army at El Obeid in the Sudan September 1883”.

Our next meeting will be on the 1st of March, at 7 pm, at the Community Centre and the speaker will be Peter Robinson, and the subject will be "Wreck of the Ocean Monarch”.

Please come and join us, you don’t have to be a Member you can pay £3. For the night.