BBC debate between Iorwerth Thomas (Rhondda MP) and Gwynfor Evans (15171981727)

Iorwerth Rhys Thomas (22 January 1895 – 3 December 1966) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Labour Party politician. Thomas was born on 22 January 1895, the son of David William Thomas, a self-employed greengrocer of

Cwmparc Cwmparc is a village and a district of the community of Treorchy, in the Rhondda Valley, Wales. History There is evidence of, and logic for, a medieval park, or hunting preserve, in the enclosed area called Parc Cwm Brychiniog. It lies in the ...

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 ('' ...

. He was educated at a local elementary school, and in 1908, at 13 years of age, he began working at the Dare Colliery, Cwmparc. He attended evening classes in economics and history in order to improve his education, and in 1918 he joined the Labour Party. In 1922 he was promoted to the position of checkweighman at Cwm-parc. He was a prominent figure within the

South Wales Miners' Federation The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for coal miners in South Wales. It survives as the South Wales Area of the National Union of Mineworkers. Forerunners The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AA ...

and the National Union of Mineworkers for more than 30 years and held a number of offices in the Park and Dare Lodge, the largest in the south Wales coalfield. During the 1926 coalminers' strike Thomas was sentenced to three months imprisonment as the chairman of the Park and Dare Lodge as a result of his involvement in industrial disturbances. He was elected a member of the Rhondda Borough Council in 1928, chaired many of its committees and served as its chairman in 1938–39. He remained a member until 1951. He served, too, on a number of joint industrial councils for Wales and Monmouthshire, and was a member of the South Wales Electricity Board, 1947–49. In 1950 he was elected for Rhondda West and continued to represent the constituency until his death in 1966. He was much interested in economic and industrial matters. Thomas was a consistent opponent of Welsh nationalism and fought relentlessly against the Parliament for Wales agitation of the 1950s. He publicly attacked

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

on several occasions and in October 1965 he was highly critical of the recommendations of the Hughes-Parry Report on the Legal Status of the Welsh Language. In 1960 he supported the Conservative government's measure to open public houses on Sundays. He married in October 1920 Annie Mary, daughter of D.J. Davies. She, too, was active in the Labour politics of the area. She died in July 1956. They had one son and one daughter. Thomas died on 3 December 1966 aged 81 at his home 94 Park Road, Cwmparc, Rhondda.

References

British Parliamentary by-elections, 1967: Rhondda WestUK General Elections since 1832
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External links

* 1895 births 1966 deaths National Union of Mineworkers-sponsored MPs Welsh Labour Party MPs UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 People from Treorchy {{Wales-Labour-UK-MP-stub