William Thomas Havard (23 October 1889 – 17 August 1956) was a Welsh clergyman and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

international player. He served as a military chaplain 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 ...

, and later as Bishop of St Asaph and then

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, ...

in the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The p ...

Early life

Havard was born in Defynnog, Brecknockshire, the third son of William Havard, a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

of the local

congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

chapel, and his wife Gwen. He attended

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

county school before studying at

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 = ...

, where he graduated with a 3rd-class BA degree in history in 1912. Having been raised in the congregationalist Christian tradition, he was

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

as a member of the

after graduating. He then trained for ordination at

St Michael's College, Llandaff St Padarn's Institute came into being in 2016. Until then the site belonged to St Michael's College, an Anglican theological college in Llandaff, Wales. St Michael's college was founded in Aberdare in 1892, and was situated in Llandaff from 1907 ...

and was ordained deacon in 1913 and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in 1914. He was curate of

Llanelli Llanelli (" St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarth ...

from 1913 to 1915.

First World War

During the

, Havard served as chaplain to the 10th Battalion,

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. I ...

, which formed part of the 115th Brigade in the

38th (Welsh) Division The 38th (Welsh) Division (initially the 43rd Division, later the 38th (Welsh) Infantry Division and then the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division) of the British Army was active during both the First and Second World Wars. In 1914, the divisio ...

, serving from 1915 to 1919. He retained an honorary commission as chaplain to the forces, 4th class. He was Mentioned in Despatches in 1917 ( Haig's despatch of 9 April), and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

in the

1918 New Year Honours The 1918 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Ja ...

Oxford

After the war, Havard returned to St Albans Church, Llanelli Where he was now Revd to the newly finished church 1919-1920 (he had previously served there between 1913-1915 while it was just the crypt) Havard was chaplain of

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

, from 1919 to 1921. While there, he took a degree in modern history, graduating in 1921.

Sports

Rugby

A keen sportsman, Havard played rugby at all levels, representing Brecon Secondary School while a schoolboy, and continuing through university and finally joining

and later

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...

at club level. On 21 April 1919, Havard played for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

in a tour match against the New Zealand Army. This was Havard's only match for Wales; New Zealand won the match 6–3. Havard was an

Oxford blue A blue is an award of sporting colours earned by athletes at some universities and schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of blues began at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. They are now awarded at a number of other ...

, playing for

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

The Varsity Match The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. The event began in 1872 with the first men's match, with interruptions only for the two World Wars. Since 1921, the game has ...

of 1919. He was also part of the Jesus College rugby team that won the inter-collegiate cup in 1920.

Football

Havard also played football to a high standard, playing for Swansea Town. In September 1912, two days before the Swansea Town's first Southern League match, Havard was in the reserve team in a match against

Merthyr Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

and scored Swansea's first goal in their first competitive season. In January 1914, Havard had recently played football for

, prompting objections that this should debar him from playing rugby for Llanelli as an amateur: he was allowed to play one match, but not another.

Church career

After leaving Oxford, Havard became curate of Brecon (1921–22),

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

(1922–24), vicar of St Luke's, Battersea (1924–28) and vicar of St Mary's, Swansea (1928–34). He was a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of Brecon Cathedral from 1930 to 1934. He succeeded A. G. Edwards as Bishop of St Asaph in September 1934 when Edwards retired. He had in 1923 he returned to a more active army role, joining the Territorials in his previous grade on 8 May 1923, he was then promoted to Chaplain, 3rd class on 21 February 1925 before being appointed to a reserve commission on 6 January 1934, which he retained until reaching the age-limit for the position in 1949, when he was again granted an honorary commission. On 18 June 1940 he was appointed a Chaplain and Sub-Prelate of the

Venerable Order of Saint John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

. He was translated to

St David's St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...

in succession to David Prosser in 1950. He was regarded as a powerful preacher in both Welsh and in English, with his sermon on the Sunday before the National Eisteddfod often being broadcast. He was Select Preacher at St. Andrew's University (1943) and

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

(1946), and travelled to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1951 as a special lecturer and preacher. He was prominent in educational activities, chairing the education council of the Church in Wales, and acting as Visitor to St. David's College,

Llandovery College , image = Llandovery College (geograph 5927072).jpg , image_size = , motto = Gwell Dysg Na Golud( here areno riches better than learning) , established = , closed = , type = Independent day and bo ...

, Trinity College, Carmarthen and St John's College,

Ystrad Meurig Ystrad Meurig (or Ystradmeurig) is a village and community in Ceredigion, Wales. It lies on the B4340 road northwest of the town of Tregaron, on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains. History and amenities Ystrad Meurig was the site of a Grammar ...

. Havard died on 17 August 1956, and was buried in Brecon. His memorial is in the Havard Chapel of Brecon Cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Havard, William 1889 births 1956 deaths Welsh military personnel 20th-century bishops of the Church in Wales Alumni of Aberystwyth University Alumni of St Michael's College, Llandaff Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Association footballers not categorized by position Bishops of St Asaph Bishops of St Davids British Army personnel of World War I English footballers Llanelli RFC players London Welsh RFC players Oxford University RFC players People from Brecknockshire Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers Rugby union players from Powys Swansea City A.F.C. players Wales international rugby union players Welsh military chaplains Welsh rugby union players World War I chaplains Rugby union props