In 1923 he was ord., and he served his ministry in the churches of Shirland Rd. , London ( 1923-26 ), and Cathedral Rd. , Cardiff ( 1926-28 ). In 1925 he m. Margaret Evelyn Palmer and they had a son. He was appointed professor of the history of religions and the philosophy of religion in 1928 at the Theological College , Aberystwyth , but resigned in 1933 following some unfortunate events. It became apparent that his mind was disturbed , and he displayed a split personality for the rest of his life. He moved from place to place and lived at Neath and Machynlleth , and he also lived in one or two other districts as a member of staff on the weekly newspaper, Y Cymro . He had charge of the churches in the pastorate of Llangadfan, Mont. , but the few months he spent with them proved calamitous. Eventually he moved to Llandrindod Wells , where Ithon Road church gave him the opportunity to recover. He d. there 7 July. 1969 . His friends and admirers raised a fund to place a monument on his grave.

W.D. Davies had a pleasant personality, he was a first-class scholar and a powerful preacher . He possessed particular qualifications required to meet the needs of the mid-twentieth century. He excelled also as an author who could readily draw upon all sources of learning and literature. He published some books on religious topics, namely Cristnogaeth a meddwl yr oes ( 1932 ), Datblygiad Duw ( 1934 ), and a penetrating and highly readable handbook on the Epistle to the Ephesians ( 1933 ). During his ‘itinerant’ period he took an interest in writing essays and poems — this is when he began to call himself W.D.P. Davies , though no-one knew what ‘P’ stood for. [He said ‘P’ was for ‘ Pechadur ’ (sinner), but it may have derived from his wife's maiden name.] He published Y diafol i dalu ( 1948 ), and Tannau telyn crwydrol ( 1953 ). Presbyterianism , and Wales in general, suffered a deep loss from the dualism which wrecked his personality.