between ships, including semaphore, searchlight and carrier pigeon. Evan-Thomas continued to suffer from illness while in the Mediterranean, and in 1894 received sick leave to return to England. While he was indeed ill, the leave was also granted to allow him to formally propose to and marry Hilda Barnard, who he had intended to marry immediately before his unexpected posting to the Mediterranean. The wedding took place on 18 July 1894 at St. Saviours Church, Walton Place, Knightsbridge. In November the couple moved to Valletta on Malta where the fleet was based. Social life on Malta remained impressive, with royalty and other dignitaries stopping at Malta and being entertained at Admiralty House. Evan-Thomas' term in the Mediterranean ceased in December 1896. Culme-Seymour wrote that 'he has great tact and judgement – a thorough knowledge of his duties (signal and otherwise) and both with the fleet in the summer at sea and on shore in Malta has been all that I could wish'. On 1 January 1897, he was promoted to commander. Evan-Thomas became secretary to an admiralty committee set up to revise the signal book. In May 1898 he was present with a number of senior officers to witness an experimental wireless transmission from a wooden hut, on a clifftop on the Isle of wight, where Guglielmo Marconi had set up a wireless transmitter. A similar station had been set up at Bournemouth, some fourteen miles away. Afterwards Evan-Thomas wrote to Vice-Admiral sir Compton Domville, chairman of the signals committee, reporting the success of the experiment, and recommending a trial on board two warships. The battleship and cruisers and were each equipped with radios for the 1899 manoeuvres, and transmitted messages up to 60 miles. Work on the signal book was completed in 1898 and a new version published. In November, Evan-Thomas became commander of the Portsmouth Signal School. was still officially flagship at Portsmouth, and so Evan-Thomas was recorded as part of her crew. Culme-Seymour had already been appointed commander of Portsmouth and took with him a number of other officers from the Mediterranean, so the posting was effectively a reunion. Once again, Culme-Seymour held regular dinner parties for VIPs, including Prince George and naval dignitaries, which Evan-Thomas attended. In November 1900, Evan-Thomas was appointed to his first independent command, the cruiser HMS Pioneer, which was part of the Mediterranean fleet, at age 38. The fleet was now commanded