b.
16 Sept. 1892
at
Maesteg, Glam.
, one of nine children. His father
James
Thomas
was a native of
Cilgerran, Pembs.
and his mother hailed from
Newcastle Emlyn, Carms.
He spent short periods of his childhood at
Cilgerran
and
Cardigan
. He was educated at elementary schools at
Maesteg
, and
attended evening classes in mining and mine surveying
which enabled him to qualify as an
engineer
. In
1906
, at 13 yrs. of age, he began working as
clerk
at the
Oakwood
and
Garth collieries
, he moved to a colliery at
Llantrisant
and then to the
Caerau colliery
,
Maesteg
.
Thomas
became a
full-time official
of the
South Wales Miners' Federation
in
1919
and served as
secretary
to
Vernon
Hartshorn
(
DWB
, 344-45)
and
Ted
Williams
(see
Williams
,
Sir
Edward John
below)
. In the same year he joined the
Labour Party
. He became the
Aberdare area secretary
of the
S.W.M.F.
in
1934
, and he and his family moved to live in the area. In
1936
he was elected by an overwhelming majority as the
miners' agent
of the
Merthyr
and
Aberdare
valleys of the
south Wales
area of the
N.U.M.
as successor to
Noah
Ablett
(
DWB
, 1113)
, and he became an
advisory member of the south Wales area executive
of the
N.U.M.
He became an
authority on workmen's compensation
.
On
5 Dec. 1946
at a by-election
Thomas
became
M.P. (Lab.)
for the
Aberdare division
in succession to
George
Hall
(see above)
. He continued to represent this constituency in parliament until his death. He was re-elected with a majority of almost 28,000 votes in
1951
.
Emlyn
Thomas
was a quiet, modest individual — ‘
the gentle man in Welsh politics
' — who always served his constituents conscientiously. He was elected
chairman
of the
Welsh Parliamentary Labour group
in the
House of Commons
in
1949-50
. His political papers are in the custody of the
National Library of Wales
. He was a native
Welsh
-speaker, a
deacon
and a
Sunday school teacher
at
Ebenezer Independent chapel
,
Trecynon
,
Aberdare
. He was
active in a number of cultural societies
in the
Cynon Valley
, a member of
Trecynon Choral Union
and numerous
eisteddfod
committees.
Gardening
was one of his main interests.
He m. in
1923
Bessie
Thomas
(she d.
10 Sept. 1953
), a
schoolteacher
at
Maesteg
. They had a son and two daughters. Following a
heart attack
he d. on
20 June 1954
at his home
65 Broniestyn Terrace
,
Trecynon
,
Aberdare
.
