Mexborough & Swinton Times, July 21, 1917
Denaby Airman in Germany
Pilot Sgt Frank Horace Evans of the (R.F.C.), son of Mr and Mrs H.P.Evans, the bungalow, Old Denaby who has been missing for two months, is now ascertained to be a prisoner of war in turn at Dulmen, Westphalia. He has written from there to his parents as follows:
“You will see by my address that I have at last arrived in Germany, and I am a lot better treated, but I want parcels very badly. You can send through the Royal flying Corps fund, so if you will find their address by writing to Farnborough, they might send me something to eat. If you cannot do that you can send me an international money order, and I can buy eatables, but they are pretty expensive. Anyhow, do your best quickly.
I have not told you how I was captured. Well I was brought down in a scrap with a famous German pilot on Good Friday morning. My control wires were shot away, and there were bullets in the engine.”
Mr and Mrs Evans, have also received a letter from their son’s squadron commander as follows:
“The war office will have sent you notification that your son, Sgt Evans, of this squadron, failed to return from a flight over the German lines, and is probably a prisoner of war. It is difficult to much information, but your son was seen to land with his machine under control behind the German lines, so I hope you will soon as satisfactory news of him. He had not been with this squadron long, but was doing excellent work and we shall all feel his absence.”
Pilot Sgt Evans is 20 years of age. He has a brother serving, but his brother has been discharging consequence of wounds, and is now serving his old colonel (also invalided out) as chauffer. Before the war pilot Sgt Evans was a motor mechanic at the Simplex Works, Sheffield.