David Jenkins

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(29 May 1912 – 6 March 2002) was the Librarian of the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

from 1969 to 1979 and author of an official history of the library. Stephens, Meic

Biography

Jenkins was born in

Blaenclydach Clydach Vale ( cy, Cwmclydach and adjoining ''Blaenclydach'') is a village in the Community (Wales), community of Cwm Clydach, northwest of Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the Rhondda Valley, Wales. It is named for it ...

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley ('' ...

the son of an

Aberaeron Aberaeron, previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community, and electoral ward between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, in Ceredigion, Wales. Ceredigion County Council offices are in Aberaeron. The name of the town is Welsh for ''mouth of the ...

-born collier but, as a consequence of illness, spent most of his childhood with an aunt and uncle in

Penrhyn-coch Penrhyn-coch is a small Welsh village, in the community of Trefeurig, Ceredigion, located between the Afon Stewi and Nant Seilo rivers, close to where they merge into the Afon Clarach. The village is approximately north-east of Aberystwyth. T ...

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

. He was educated at Ardwyn Grammar School, Aberystwyth; and the

University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

, graduating BA with Honours in Welsh Literature, 1936, and MA in 1948. In 1979 an Hon.

DLitt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

Wales was conferred on him.Roberts, Brynley Francis
Jenkins, David (1912-2002)
Monograph in online ''Dictionary of Welsh Biography'' at

He was employed at the National Library of Wales in 1939 as an assistant in the Department of

Manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

. Conscripted into the Army, he served during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a major in north-western Europe, "taking part in the

liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germ ...

and the push into Germany and Poland, where he was among the first British soldiers to reach the concentration camps". He resumed his career at the National Library, becoming an Assistant Keeper in the Department of Printed Books from 1949 to 1957. He was later appointed Keeper, 1957–1962, Senior Keeper, 1962–1969, and, finally, Librarian, 1969–1979. He was the editor of the ''

Journal of the Welsh Bibliographical Society The ''Journal of the Welsh Bibliographical Society'' was published annually from 1910 to 1984. It contained scholarly articles on Welsh writers, bibliographic research, and society notes in English and Welsh. It was published by the Welsh Bibliogr ...

'' from 1964 to 1979, and editor of the ''

National Library of Wales Journal The ''National Library of Wales Journal'' (Cylchgrawn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru) is an annual academic journal containing scholarly articles on historical topics relating to the Library's collections, covering Welsh medieval and local history, ...

'' from 1968 to 1979. He served as the General Commissioner of Income Tax 1968–1987 and the chairman of the

Welsh Books Council The Books Council of Wales (previously known as the Welsh Books Council) or Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru was established in 1961. Today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interests of Welsh language books and Engl ...

from 1974 to 1980. Jenkins received a

in 1977. His history of the National Library, ''A Refuge in Peace and War'', was written over a 20-year period. He died, aged 89, in Aberystwyth on 6 March 2002.

Personal life

Jenkins married Menna Rhys, the only daughter of the Rev. Owen Evans Williams of

, in 1948. They had one son and one daughter.''Who Was Who?''

A & C Black A & C Black is a British book publishing company, owned since 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The company is noted for publishing '' Who's Who'' since 1849. It also published popular travel guides and novels. History The firm was founded in 18 ...

London (2003) incorporated in ''Who Was Who'' Volume 11 (2001–2005),

Bloomsbury Publishing Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index. Bloomsbury's head office is located in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a U ...

London (2006)

Bibliography

*''A Refuge in Peace and War: The National Library of Wales to 1952'' (NLW, 2002) *''Thomas Gwynn Jones'' (Gwasg Gee, 1973) *''Bro a Bywyd Thomas Gwynn Jones 1871-1949'' (Cyngor Y Celfyddydau, 1984) *''Bro Dafydd ap Gwilym'' (Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion, 1992) *''O Blas Gogerddan i Horeb (Taith Dwy Ganrif)'' (Gwasg Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, 1993)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, David 1912 births 2002 deaths Welsh librarians Welsh editors Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Ardwyn School, Aberystwyth Alumni of Aberystwyth University People from Clydach Vale 20th-century Welsh historians Anglo-Welsh writers Welsh-speaking writers