William Rees-Thomas
CB FRCP FRSM (15 June 1887 – 13 April 1978) was a Welsh psychiatrist.
He was Medical Senior Commissioner for the
Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency
The Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency was a body overseeing the treatment of the mentally ill in England and Wales. It was created by the Mental Deficiency Act 1913 to replace the Commissioners in Lunacy, under the Home Office howe ...
.
Born in
Senny,
Breconshire
, image_flag=
, HQ= Brecon
, Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974)
, Origin= Brycheiniog
, Status=
, Start= 1535
, End= ...
, he was educated at
County School, Brecon and
Cardiff University
, latin_name =
, image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University
, motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord
, mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord
, established = 1 ...
. He became a
Member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1913 and a
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...
in 1933.
He was awarded the
Alfred Sheen Prize, 1906;
Alfred Hughes Memorial Medal, 1907;
Llewelyn Prize, 1909;
Murchison Scholar (RCP), 1912;
Gaskell Prize and gold medal.
During the
First World war
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he served in the
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...
He was appointed to the Board of Control in 1931, replacing
Arthur Rotherham
Arthur Rotherham (27 May 1869 – 3 March 1946) was an English rugby union scrum-half who was a member of the first official British Isles tour and was later capped for the England team.
Personal history
Rotherham was born in Coventry in 1869 t ...
as Medical Senior Commissioner
He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1950
He married Muriel Hodgson Jones in 1917; they had a son Frederick Douglas Rees-Thomas (1920–1995), and daughter Aelwyn Minette (1922–2012).
He was widowed in 1934. In 1948 he remarried
Ruth Darwin
Ruth Frances Darwin CBE (20 August 1883 – 15 October 1972) was Commissioner of the Board of Control for Lunacy and Mental Deficiency and an advocate of eugenics.
Career
Darwin was appointed to the Board of Control, as an unpaid member, in 1 ...
, a colleague of his on the Board of Control, daughter of
Sir Horace and
Lady Ida Darwin they had no children, and she died in 1972.
[Obituary: Mrs W. Rees-Thomas, The Times, Monday, Oct 16, 1972; pg. 14; Issue 58606; col F] He died in
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
in 1978.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees-Thomas, William
1887 births
1978 deaths
Welsh psychiatrists
Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians
Companions of the Order of the Bath
People from Brecknockshire