Charles Evenden

Charles Evenden (1 October 1894 – 1 April 1961) was an English cartoonist, known as the founder and guiding inspiration of the ex-servicemen organisation known as the Memorable Order of Tin Hats.

Early life Charles Alfred Evenden, the eldest of the thirteen children was born in London to John Charles Evenden of Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Gregory on 1 October 1894.

He was educated at Haggerston Road School in the London Borough of Hackney. At the age of twelve, he was top of the school and remained there for two years, winning two scholarships to Charterhouse School. However, his parents did not have the means to send him to Charterhouse and found him a job in a factory instead of half-a-crown a week.

The concepts of True Comradeship, Mutual Help and Sound Memory were to become the inspiration of an organisation of ex-front line soldiers, of all ranks, known as the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH). Evenden, the founder of the movement and its inspiration, was given the title of 'Moth O' – a position he held until his death."

The membership of the MOTH movement, under Evenden's direction and leadership, grew into thousands. Men and women of two world wars, of the Second Anglo Boer War (1899–1902) and even those of former enemy forces streamed into its ranks. All who were prepared to keep alive the memories of comradeship and self-sacrifice were welcomed and made at home in shellholes. The shellholes spread to the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). Membership was extended to those who had participated in the South African Border War.

The MOTH national headquarters is situated in Warriors Gate, Durban, which is modelled on a Norman design from a photograph given to Evenden by Admiral Evans-of-the-Broke. In 1948 Evenden opened Mount Memory ,- a monument to the missing and dead of the Second World War, in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains.

Family life He married Reenie Carlos and had a son, Barrie, and a daughter. Barrie was posted as missing in action when his ship was torpedoed by a U-boat in the Mediterranean Sea.

After he died in Durban on 1 April 1961 Evenden was cremated, and his ashes were scattered over the Durban bay.

Writings Evenden wrote the story of how the MOTH organisation was created in his book Old soldiers never die (Durban, 1952). He was also the author of Like a little candle (Durban, 1959).

Recognition In 1955 he was received by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, at Clarence House.

On 11 November 1955, the freedom of the city of Durban was conferred on him, at a parade of 14 000 Moths, by the then Mayor, Councillor Vernon Essery.