Lewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas (
né
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth reg ...
Thomas) (15 August 1908 – 4 February 1987) was a Welsh newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father.
Early life and education
Thomas was born in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, in
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
, the second son of Dr.
David Vaughan Thomas
David Vaughan Thomas or David Vaughan-Thomas (15 March 1873 – 15 September 1934), born David Thomas, and known also by his bardic name Pencerdd Vaughan, was a composer, organist, pianist and music administrator. His compositions are deeply inf ...
, a Professor of Music, and Morfydd Lewis, the daughter of Daniel Lewis who was one of the leaders of the
Rebecca Riots
The Rebecca Riots (Welsh: ''Terfysgoedd Beca'') took place between 1839 and 1843 in West and Mid Wales. They were a series of protests undertaken by local farmers and agricultural workers in response to levels of taxation. The rioters, often me ...
in
Pontarddulais
Pontarddulais (), also known as Pontardulais (), is both a community and a town in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. The Pontarddulais ward is part of the City and County of Swansea. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hendy i ...
.
He attended the
Bishop Gore School
The Bishop Gore School ( cy, Ysgol Esgob Gore) is a secondary school in Swansea in Wales, founded on 14 September 1682 by Hugh Gore (1613–1691), Bishop of Waterford and Lismore. It is situated in Sketty, close to Singleton Park and Swansea ...
, Swansea, where the English master was the father of
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...
, who was just entering the school at the time that Vaughan-Thomas was leaving for
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...
. At Oxford he read modern history and gained a second class
academic degree
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...
.
Career
BBC
In the mid-1930s, Vaughan-Thomas joined the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
and, in 1937, gave the Welsh-language commentary on the
coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May 1937. ...
. This was the precursor to several English-language commentaries on state occasions he was to give after the Second World War. During the war, he established his name and reputation as one of the BBC's most distinguished
war correspondents. His most memorable report was from an
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Lancaster bomber
The Avro Lancaster is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the S ...
during a real
bombing raid
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematic ...
over
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
Berlin. Other notable reports were from the
Battle of Anzio
The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...
, the
Burgundy vineyards,
Lord Haw-Haw
Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to William Joyce, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling", spoken in an affected upper-class English acc ...
's broadcasting studio and the
Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentrati ...
.
In 1953, he was one of a team of BBC commentators on the
coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
. He commentated on the funeral of his fellow wartime BBC correspondent
Richard Dimbleby
Frederick Richard Dimbleby (25 May 1913 – 22 December 1965) was an English journalist and broadcaster, who became the BBC's first war correspondent, and then its leading TV news commentator.
As host of the long-running current affairs ...
in 1965.
Harlech Television
In 1967, after leaving the BBC, Vaughan-Thomas was one of the founders of
Harlech Television
ITV Wales and West, previously known as Harlech Television (HTV), was an ITV (TV network), ITV franchise area in the United Kingdom until 31 December 2013, licensed to a broadcaster by the regulator Ofcom.
There is no channel, past or present, ...
(HTV, now ITV Wales), being appointed director of programmes. As a frequent TV broadcaster himself throughout his early career with the BBC, he had adopted the required
BBC accent of the time, but employed his more natural native Welsh accent to even better effect in his later career.
In 1985, Vaughan-Thomas notably presented the 13-part series ''
The Dragon Has Two Tongues
''The Dragon Has Two Tongues'' was a 13-part television series, broadcast in the UK in 1985 by HTV and Channel 4. It was about the history of Wales and was presented jointly by Gwyn Alf Williams and Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, and produced by Colin T ...
'' with
Gwyn Alf Williams
Gwyn Alfred "Alf" Williams (30 September 1925 – 16 November 1995) was a Welsh historian particularly known for his work on Antonio Gramsci and Francisco Goya as well as on Welsh history.
Life
Williams was born in the iron town of Dowlais ...
. The series saw lengthy and often passionate discussions on Welsh history, with the two presenters representing opposing points of view, Williams being a
Marxist historian
Marxist historiography, or historical materialist historiography, is an influential school of historiography. The chief tenets of Marxist historiography include the centrality of social class, social relations of production in class-divided so ...
and Vaughan-Thomas being described by
Geraint H. Jenkins as his "affable
Whiggish
Whig history (or Whig historiography) is an approach to historiography that presents history as a journey from an oppressive and benighted past to a "glorious present". The present described is generally one with modern forms of liberal democracy ...
co-presenter".
Writing
Vaughan-Thomas wrote numerous books, many on Wales and a favourite subject of his, the Welsh countryside.
His wartime overview and experiences, and his successful broadcasting career later, enabled him to view life and its vagaries with what he called "pointless optimism" — a perspective that served him.
His 1961 book ''Anzio'' was adapted as the 1968 Italian-American film ''
Anzio
Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.
Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a Port, fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine I ...
'', about the Battle of Anzio, the
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
seaborne assault on the Italian port of
Anzio
Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.
Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a Port, fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine I ...
south of Rome during the Second World War.
Heritage
In May 1970, when president of the
Council for the Protection of Rural Wales, Vaughan-Thomas officially opened the
Pembrokeshire Coast Path
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Sir Benfro), often called the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, is a designated National Trail in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Established in 1970, it is a long-distance walking route, mostly at ...
in the
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro) is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales.
It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of three national parks in Wales, the others bei ...
at its southern end, at
Amroth
Amroth is both a village, a parish and a community northeast of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Located on Carmarthen Bay, Amroth is noted for its long sandy beach which stretches the length of the village. It regularly earns a Blue Flag award. an ...
.
Private life
In 1946, Thomas married Charlotte Rowlands.
Honours
He was appointed Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
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 ...
(OBE) in the
1974 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1974 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were published on 7 June 1974 for ...
for services to Wales, and promoted Commander (CBE) in the
1986 Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supple ...
for services to Welsh culture.
He died in
Fishguard
Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two pa ...
,
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
, on 4 February 1987, aged 78.
Memorial
![Vaughan-Thomas toposcope - Wales](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Vaughan-Thomas_toposcope_-_Wales.jpg)
A memorial was constructed after his death, completed and unveiled in 1990 at Cadair viewpoint, near
Aberhosan
Aberhosan () is a village in the Welsh principal area of Powys, located between the historic town of Machynlleth and village of Dylife. It is in the historic county of Montgomeryshire. The village school closed before 1971, and is now the villa ...
(at ), in the form of a
toposcope
A toposcope, topograph, or orientation table is a kind of graphic display erected at viewing points on hills, mountains or other high places which indicates the direction, and usually the distance, to notable landscape features which can be seen f ...
looking out over the rolling hills and mountains of Wales, with a depiction of Vaughan-Thomas pointing towards
Snowdon
Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...
, Wales' highest peak, which is just visible on a clear day.
[ ''Across the hills towards Yr Wyddfa and the Snowdonia National Park'']
Works
* ''Anzio'' (1961)
* ''Madly in All Directions'' (1967)
* ''The Shell Guide to Wales'' (1969, with Alun Llewellyn)
* ''Portrait of Gower'' (1976)
* ''Great Little Trains Of Wales'' (1976)
* ''Trust to Talk'' (1980)
* ''Wynford Vaughan-Thomas's Wales'' (1981)
* ''Princes of Wales'' (1982)
* ''The Countryside Companion'' (1983)
* ''Dalgety'' (1984)
* ''Wales: a History'' (1985)
* ''How I Liberated Burgundy: And Other Vinous Adventures'' (1985)
References
Further reading
* – autobiography
External links
*
BBC Wales HistoryBBC CymruThames Television Interview from 1972Wynford Vaughan-Thomas Papersat 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 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan-Thomas, Wynford
1908 births
1987 deaths
Welsh-language television presenters
Welsh-speaking journalists
British male journalists
People from Swansea
People educated at Bishop Gore School
Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford
Welsh journalists
Welsh radio presenters
Welsh television presenters
BBC newsreaders and journalists
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
20th-century British writers
20th-century British male writers