Evelyn Gladys Brown was the only child of Horace Brown and Annie Elizabeth Fuller who married on 8 June 1887 at the parish church in Hendon. Thirty two year old Horace was an accountant, living in St Pancras at the time of the wedding. Twenty one year old Annie was living in Hendon. Evelyn was born in the spring of the following year, when the family was living at Claremont on Dennington Park Road, She was taken for baptism on 29 April to St James’ church, West Hampstead.

The family was still living at Claremont in April 1891 when the census was taken. In addition to Evelyn and her parents there were three resident servants; two domestics and a page. 

By 1901 when the next census return was made, the family had moved to 10 Chatsworth Road, Brondesbury, near Willesden employing a cook and a housemaid. Thirteen year old Evelyn was old enough to have left school, but may well have been continuing her education.

Sadly Evelyn’s father died in December 1902, and Annie was granted probate of his estate, which amounted to a little over £563. Less than five months later Annie also died, leaving Evelyn, barely 15 years old, an orphan. Annie’s estate was left in the hands of a John William Anderson and amounted to coppers, under £99. Presumably it was around this time that young Evelyn had to leave the family home on Chatsworth Road, and whilst it is not known where she went, we do know that she was close to a paternal aunt, Jessie Touch. 

Evelyn volunteered her service during WW1 as a nursing member of the Craig's Court Nursing Division of the St John Ambulance Brigade (No.1 District). It is not known when she was engaged. We know that she served as a nurse at the Royal Herbert Hospital, which was situated in southeast London on the south side of Woolwich Common.

According to the IWM Lives of the First World War project, at the end of December 1915 Evelyn was living at 48 King's Gardens, West End Lane, London. This was quite a way from the Royal Herbert, so it’s possible that she was engaged after that date, or that she retained the address and stayed nearer to the hospital when she was working there. Checking records, a Helen Brown was named on the Electoral Roll for that address between 1907 and 1914; possibly a relative of Evelyn’s.

Like so many nurses who gave their time to serve the wounded and ill servicemen in WW1 Evelyn fell victim to ill health and on 4 May 1916 she died at the hospital for Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, 71 Vincent Square, Westminster of pneumonia and meningitis. She was 28 years old.

Evelyn’s estate, including her War Gratuity Payment of £10 and her accrued pay was administered by Lady Jessie Touche (the 'e' being added in 1906 by Royal Licence and Authority), Evelyn’s paternal aunt. 

No record has been identified regarding Evelyn’s burial place, but she is remembered on the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial in Woking. Evelyn’s aunt Jessie died in 1917 aged 55.