Lieutenant Hubert John Heath EVES (138625)
F Company, 2nd Battalion Scots Guards

Date of birth: 22nd December 1914
Date of death: 18th March 1943

Killed in action aged 28
Commemorated on the Medjez-el Bab Memorial Face 13
Hubert John Heath Eves was born in India on the 22nd of December 1914 the elder son of Sir Hubert Bryan Heath Eves, late Deputy Chairman of the Anglo Iranian Oil Company, and of Lady Gladys Mary (nee Goring) Eves of “Crathorne”, Godophin Road, Weybridge in Surrey and of 4 Hampstead Hill Gardens, Hampstead.

He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Manor House from September 1928 to July 1933. He was a Sergeant in the Officer Training Corps and achieved Certificate A in 1932. He also gained his School Certificate in 1932. He was appointed as a House Captain, a Prefect and Head of House in 1932 and was Head of School in 1933.

He went on to Corpus Christi College Cambridge the year he left, achieving a BA in 1936 and, later a MA.

He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Scots Guards from an Officer Cadet Training Unit on the 4th of July 1940.

On the 7th of April 1941 the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards landed in North Africa where Hubert Eves was based at 22nd Guards Brigade Headquarters acting as Camp Commandant.

On the 16th of March 1943 the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards were in support of an attack by the 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards and 6th Battalion Grenadier Guards as they launched their assault on the Mareth Line in Tunisia.

The two battalions were initially successful in their assault despite being outnumbered by the German defenders. The Scots Guards were dug in on the reverse slope of a ridge further back, among a small grove of date, palm and olive trees. The enemy artillery and mortars were diligent in seeking out the Scots, even though they were well dug in, and through the course of the 16th and 17th their casualties mounted.

On the 18th of March the shelling continued, albeit intermittently, and Hubert Eves was killed during the morning.

The initial success of the Coldstreams and Grenadiers was short lived and they were eventually forced to retire having suffered a large number of casualties.

He is commemorated on the war memorial at Corpus Christi College Cambridge.

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