Tributes follow death of 'inspirational' character Ron Davies-Evans (From The Northern Echo)

Tributes follow death of 'inspirational' character Ron Davies-Evans

8:40am Saturday 31st December 2011 in News By Mike Amos

A METHODIST preacher who was also a Bomber Command veteran, Wembley cup final official and champion fundraiser has died aged 90.

Ron Davies-Evans, who claimed that preaching kept him on his toes, was last night described as a wondeful character by fellow preacher Pam Martin.

“Ron was a great encourager, both of young people and of other preachers. He was a very clever man,” she said.

Born in Darlington, he lived in the town and was active until recently.

Most of his citations – and his Open University degree – were kept in the downstairs toilet, together with a signed photograph from Henry Mancini and one of Ken Dodd’s tickling sticks.

In 2003 he flew a glider to 2,500ft, saying: “It was an 82nd birthday present, better than a box of chocolates.”

He joined the RAF in 1941, flew 29 Bomber Command missions over France and Germany and was part of Operation Manna which, in 1945, dropped tons of food to 3.5 million starving Dutch.

In 2005, for the 60th anniversary, he returned to The Hague.

“There had been women and girls on the flat roofs of the factories, waving flags and anything they could find,” said Mr Davies-Evans.

“From 50ft you could see the utter joy in their faces.

“Some of our blighters were flying at 60 or 70ft so, instead of being strafed by anti-aircraft fire, we were being bombed by canisters of powdered eggs and flour.”

He subsequently worked on the railways, becoming principal of the British Railways Transport School in Darlington, and as a well-known football referee was a linesman at the 1960 FA Amateur Cup final between Hendon and Kingstonian.

At the time, he recalled, either Bishop Auckland or Crook were usually at Wembley and they were never going to appoint someone from Darlington.

“You grabbed the chance when you could.” he said.

He became a Methodist preacher in 1949, sometimes travelling in groups of four or five to dales village chapels.

He became familiar, both on the Spennymoor and Darlington circuits, and in San Francisco, where he travelled eight times after being invited by a woman he met on a train to London.

“Sometimes there were 1,000 people or more on a Sunday morning. Here I am preaching to eight old ladies.

I’m not saying America’s better, but it’s certainly different,” said Mr Davies-Evans.

He was also in much demand as a secular speaker, the Darlington and Stockton Times reporting as recently as 2008 that a talk to the Cleveland Retired Men’s Association was “one of the best, funniest and most instructive we have ever had”.

In his 80s, he and RAF Association colleague Laurie Smith – friends since their days at Albert Road school in Darlington – four times collected more than anyone else in County Durham for the Wings Week appeal.

Four self-published books – one described as “a collection of rib-tickling anecdotes, quips and stories” – also raised several thousand pounds for his favourite charities.

A widower, he was a longtime season ticket holder at Middlesbrough, usually going with his son, a former Darlington deputy headteacher who was a resident at the Cheshire Home, Marske, east Cleveland.

Susan Jaleel, also a local preacher on the Darlington circuit, said Mr Davies-Evans had been inspirational.

“He was a wonderful character, we’ll never see his like again,” she said.

Mr Davies-Evans’ funeral is on Friday, January 13, at Bondgate Methodist Church, in Darlington.