Donald Randall Evans

Air Chief Marshal Sir Donald Randell Evans, (31 January 1912 – 9 April 1975) was a senior Royal Air Force commander who was an innovator in night fighting tactics in the Second World War and conducted the signals planning for the Sicily and Normandy invasions.

Early life Born the son of Colonel Percy Evans, who had been Assistant Director Medical Services for the British Expeditionary Forces (1915–1917), Evans was educated at Wellington College before entering the RAF College Cranwell in 1930 where he won the Humanities Prize.

Second World War Following service in the Middle East, Evans joined RAF Fighter Command where he was a signals officer at the outbreak of the Second World War.

In 1964, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, promoted to air chief marshal and assumed the role of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at Technical Training Command until 1966 when he became Air Secretary. In 1968 he became the last Commandant of the Imperial Defence College before it was renamed the Royal College of Defence Studies and then retired in 1970. At the time of his death he was President of "The Old Cranwellian Association".

Family Evans married first Pauline Breech with whom he had two children, Nigel and Judith and, secondly, Squadron Leader Phillip Hunter's widow, Eleanor with whom he had one son, James.

His funeral took place in Richmond, Surrey before a memorial service at St Clement Danes, The Strand on 9 May 1975. The eulogy was read by the Earl of Bandon with excerpts reported in that year's Old Cranwellian. He described Evans as a man of "courage, humility and integrity interwoven into his character". He also stated that his rise in the Royal Air Force had been the more remarkable because "Donald suffered intolerably from bad health from his early youth, and all through his life".