Edward Evans grew up in ‘Whitbourne Hall’, a very large house in the countryside of Herefordshire, UK, where his family owned land.
He achieved a coveted “double first” degree at Oxford University and at the same time, in 1932, came across fellow students who were part of The Oxford Group. As described in his memoir, “Gentleman’s Relish”, he joined them, and after graduating, accepted an invitation to work full time with The Oxford Group.
In 1938, to gain experience of business, he took a job in a company called Swallow Raincoats. But before long World War II began, and Edward volunteered. He was sent with the Worcestershire Regiment as part of the British army in Ethiopia, and in March 1941 was badly wounded in the Battle of Keren, walking with a limp for the rest of his life. He remained in the army on administrative duties until returning to civilian life in 1945, with the rank of Captain.
After the war he again took up work with The Oxford Group (by then Moral Re-Armament), married Erica Conner in 1947, and then in 1950 returned home to take responsibility for the family estate.
Times were changing, and the estate needed to change too. He modernized the management of the woodland, started a market garden, and worked with his brother, Pat, to farm part of the estate, as opposed to renting all the land to tenants. He sought to apply the values and beliefs of MRA in this work, and from time to time found time to travel with MRA teams as well. He and Erica helped initiate many MRA activities in the area, and often entertained in Whitbourne Hall, including groups of Americans who had visited the Westminster Theatre. In 1964 he served for a year as High Sheriff of Herefordshire (an honorific role originally involving responsibility for the safety of the monarch or his/her representative in the county).
Having worked with his son, William, to find a new use for Whitbourne Hall (dividing it into what are now 25 separate dwellings), he and Erica left to live in a new house nearby, and in 1980 he handed over to William the day-to-day responsibility of the estate.
