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