On Saturday 19th October Leading Cadet Chris and OC Rhys along with PO T Massey attended a Ceremoney at Wolfcastle Chapel to commemorate Capt William Davies Evans passing. He was the inventor of the Tri-Colour Light, which changed the way ships navigate and in one way changed navigation for good.
All ships are now fitted with these lights and part of what we learn in Sea Cadets is Navigation and Lights...
Below is a brief history of Capt William Davies Evans
Captain William Davies Evans (27 January 1790 – 3 August 1872) was a seafarer and inventor, though he is best known today as a chess player. He is buried at the Belgian port of Ostend.
Evans was born at St Dogwells, Pembrokeshire, Wales. About the beginning of the century the family moved to Castle Pill, the name of an inlet of Milford Haven on the north side, just east of Milford town. By 1818, he had learnt the moves of chess.
At the age of 14, (in 1804) Evans went out to sea to serve his country in the navy until 1815, when the war ended. He was then transferred to the postal department; by 1819, he had reached the title of Captain of the sailing packet.
His most famous invention was the tri-coloured lighting on naval vessels designed to prevent collisions at night. For this invention he was awarded £1500 by the British government and a gold chronometer and £200 from the Tsar of Russia.