Huw T Edwards, Unofficial Prime Minister of Wales by Gwyn Jenkins

Tue, 29 Apr 08 09:58:00

 

Gwyn Jenkins is the National Library’s Director of Collection Services and is an expert on Huw T Edwards. His book Prif Weinidog Answyddogol Cymru: Cofiant Huw T. Edwards (‘The unofficial Prime Minister of Wales: a biography of Huw T. Edwards’) was published in 2007 and has been listed for the Academi’s 2008 Book of the year Competition. The biography chronicles the life of this influential post war union leader and Welsh patriot.

 

He received very little formal education, but was brought up in a cultured and religious home environment. In 1907, at 14 years of age, he accompanied his father to work at the Penmaen-mawr slate quarry. After his mother died in 1910 he ran away to south Wales to work in the coal mines of the Rhondda valley and was at Tonypandy at the time of the 1911 strike.

 

He was severely wounded during World War I, but he returned to work in the coal mines and slate quarries of north Wales where he set up branches of the Transport and General workers union and the Labour Party.

 

Huw T Edwards became an important, influential figure in Welsh public life from the period of the Attlee government. As he was well known in both north and south Wales, and had extensive experience of the activities of Welsh local government, he was chosen as the first chairman of the Council of Wales 1949.

 

He resigned from the Council in 1958 in a protest at the failure of the Macmillan government to implement the Council's recommendations in relation to the appointment of a Secretary of State for Wales and other administrative reforms.

 

Edwards also chaired the Wales Tourist Board for 15 years. He served on the board of directors National Broadcasting Council of the B.B.C., and was a member of Gorsedd y Beirdd, and of the Council of the National Eisteddfod. Edwards took an interest in both poetry and prose writing. He published two volumes of autobiography in Welsh — Dros y Tresi (1956) and Troi'r Drol (1963).

 

Huw T Edwards was a committed socialist, and a member of the Labour Party throughout his life until September 1959 when he joined Plaid Cymru, but he reverted to his former allegiance in 1965. He was the president of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society). On several occasions attempts were made to persuade him to stand as a parliamentary candidate on behalf of the Labour Party, but he refused each time.

 

Huw T Edwards died on the 9 November 1970 at Abergele hospital. His papers were deposited at The National Library of Wales. Among the correspondence are letters from Labour Cabinet Ministers such as Aneurin Bevan, Ernest Bevin a James Griffiths and from Plaid Cymru leaders such as Gwynfor Evans, J E Jones and Dr R Tudur Jones.

 

 

Lunchtime Lecture

7 May 2008, 1.15pm

Huw T Edwards: Unofficial Prime Minister of Wales by Gwyn Jenkins

The National Library Wales, Aberystwyth

 

Lecture in Welsh with translation

 

 

Links

 

• Huw T Edwards on the Welsh Biography Online
• Review of Gwyn Jenkins' biography of Huw T Edwards (in Welsh)
• Academi Book of the Year 2008 (in Welsh)

 

 

Further Information

 

Medi Jones,  NLW Press Office: 01970 632 534 lmj@llgc.org.uk