Edgar Evans great-great grandson, Tyler Ford

In 1907 a centrepiece of the Royal Naval and Military Tournament was the Field Gun Run, a competition that had evolved after Royal Naval involvement in the relief of Ladysmith during the Boer War. At this time Edgar Evans was the Gunnery Trainer at HMS Excellent and he led the Portsmouth team in the competition. This tremendous feat involved two competing teams hauling a ton of gun and carriage towards a wall (a steep incline), dismantling the gun and its wheels to get it over the wall, reassembling it then dismantling it again to swing it it over a twenty-eight foot ‘chasm’, putting it all together finally for the race for the ‘enemy’ line. Edgar’s team won the competition. He was a good organizer and very strong. His strength and bulk were often commented on before the ‘Terra Nova’ expedition.

The genes will out! Now Edgar’s great-great grandson, Tyler Ford, aged nine, is the British, European, and World Kickboxing Champion and the Number 1 Junior in the world. He is the youngest ever to be included in the Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He lives in Swansea, is regularly interviewed and photographed. Teresa May has sent a letter of congratulation over his achievements.

This is a remarkable achievement. Edgar would have been proud.