Charles Evenden

Charles Evenden
Born	1 October 1894 London, England
Died	1 April 1961 Durban, South Africa
Other names	EVO
Education	Haggerston Road School
Occupation	Editorial cartoonist
Notable credit(s)	Founder of the MOTH
Title	MOTH O
Spouse(s)	Reenie Carlos
Children	1 son and 1 daughter

Charles Evenden, soldier, cartoonist, and author, is probably best remembered as the founder and guiding inspiration of the ex-servicemen organisation known as the Memorable Order of Tin Hats.

Charles Alfred Evenden, the eldest of the thirteen children was born in London to John Charles Evenden of Kent and his wife, Elizabeth Gregory on 1 October 1894.

He was educated at Haggerston Road School in the London Borough of Hackney. At the age of twelve, he was top of the school and remained there for two years, winning two scholarships to Charterhouse School. However, his parents did not have the means to send him to Charterhouse and found him a job in a factory instead at half-a-crown a week. To supplement his income he took to selling newspapers. While doing this he began studying newspaper cartoons. This inspired him in the drawing classes he attended and on one occasion he sent a cartoon to the Daily Express. The psychological effect of this act was to influence his whole life.

He joined the Australian Army in World War I and was sent to Egypt. As a member of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, he took part in the Gallipoli campaign until he was badly shell-shocked and evacuated to Malta. He was hospitalised in England and at the cessation of hostilities returned to a farming life in Australia.

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