Grave - Thomas Griffiths - Mary John - view mid

Burial

Date 18 February 1927
Place Oystermouth Cemetery, Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales
Description Plot J259 - Thomas Griffiths

Narrative

Family mourners to be identified:

William Griffiths (cousin)
J. S. Griffiths (cousin)
Ifor Griffiths (nephew)

Source References

  1. Wills on file
      • Page: Thomas Griffiths (1849-1927)
  2. South Wales Daily News
      • Date: 15 February 1927
      • Page: Page 1
      • Citation:

        GRIFFITHS. - On February 14th, at Longfield, West Cross, Swansea, Thomas Griffiths, J.P., late Director and General Manager, Insoles Ltd., Porth. Funeral 12 noon, Friday, for Mumbles Cemetery (strictly private). No flowers.

      • Date: 19 February 1927
      • Page: Page 10
      • Citation:

        BURIAL OF MR T. GRIFFITHS, J.P.

        The burial took place privately yesterday in Oystermouth Cemetery, Mumbles, of Mr Thomas Griffiths, J.P., of Longfield West-cross, and formely of Maesgwyn Park, who was for 50 years associated with Messrs Insoles (Limited) and the Windsor Steam Coal Company. He was succeeded as general manager of Messrs Insoles Collieries of Porth by Mr W. Brynmor Davies, M.E., A.M.I.C.E., the youngest son of another pioneer of the Rhondda - the late Alderman E. H. Davies, J.P., who devoted his life to public work in Glamorgan.

        The family mourners were Mr W. T. Griffiths (son), and Messrs Trefor Griffiths (grandson), H. E. Thomas, and Rhys Morgan (sons-in-law), William Griffiths and J. S. Griffiths (cousins), and Ifor Griffiths (nephew).

        There were also present Messrs William G. Thomas, Evan Lewis; Eric R. Insoles and A. Norton Lewis (directors of Insoles, Ltd.), Edwin D. Davies (solicitor), J. Rice Jones, W. B. Davies (general manager of Insoles, Ltd.), George F. Martin, Arthur Preece (Porth), William Thomas, and J. Moy Evans. The service was conducted by the Rev. J. W. Smith (Congregational Church, Mumbles).

  3. Thomas Preece: Gravestone photographs
      • Date: 19 June 2018
      • Page: Thomas & Mary Griffiths, Oystermouth Cemetery
      • Grave - Thomas Griffiths - Mary John - view mid
      • Grave - Thomas Griffiths - Mary John - view close
      • Grave - Thomas Griffiths - Mary John - front face
      • Grave - Thomas Griffiths - Mary John - left face
  4. Richard C Watson: Rhondda Coal, Cardiff Gold: Insoles of Llandaff, Coal Owners and Shippers
      • Page: Page 160-161
      • Citation:

        It may be indicative of North Lewis's standing in the coal industry that in 1919, when the Prince of Wales visited South Wales, he came to Cymmer colliery where he was welcomed by North Lewis and, having been taken underground, allowed a newly worked district to be named after him.

        Tom Griffiths was also present for the royal visit but he was by this time one of the veterans of the company and on 24 January 1924 he retired at the age of 74. As one who had started work as a door boy, he had come a long way. By the time of his retirement he was a director of Insoles Ltd and the Windsor Steam Coal Co. Ltd, a member of the Conciliation Board, a past president of the South Wales Coal Owner's Association and a life member of the South Wales Institute of Engineers. He was particularly well known, trusted and admired for his work in colliery rescues and disaster explorations; he was at the Pentre disaster in 1871 and, after becoming manager at Cymmer, led the following rescues (the number of men who had been killed is shown in brackets):

        1879 Dinas (3)
        1880 Naval, Penygraig (96)
        1883 Gelli (4)
        1885 Naval (14)
        1885 Mardy (81)
        1887 Wattstown/Ynyshir (37)
        1892 Park Ship (110)
        1892 Great Western (58)
        1894 Albion, Cilfynydd (276)
        1896 Tylerstown (57)
        1899 Llest, Garw (19)
        1901 Senghenydd (82)
        1905 Clydach Vale (31)
        1905 Wattstown (0)

        In 1906 he retired from rescue work and was presented with a full-length portrait and a silver plate for his role in rescues and his public service by 'all classes' in the Rhondda Valleys. He was a Liberal member of the Rhondda Local Board and its successor, the urban district counsil, of which he was the second chairman in 1891-2. He was also a JP, known for his 'kindness on the bench', and a governor of the University of Wales.

        Griffiths was Welsh speaking and his early experience underground had helped him to gain the confidence of the men, being known for his fairness, understanding and sound judgement. According to Col. Watts Morgan MP DSO he was once asked to become the miners' agent. He retired to West Cross on the Gower where he died three years later on 11 February 1927. His funeral, conducted by the Congregational minister at the cemetery, was attended by Eric Insole and Arthur North Lewis.[1] He was succeeded by William B. Davies, the son of a county alderman from Pentre, who had been his deputy. Before coming to Cymmer Davies had a varied industrial career and had qualified as a civil, electrical and mining engineer. Davies's three brothers were a Cardiff doctor, a Harley Street specialist and a major in the Territorial Army, a very different background from both of his predecessors, Jabez Thomas and Tom Griffiths.

        [1] South Wales Daily News, 25 Jan. 1924, 13 Feb. 1927; Colliery Guardian, 18 Feb. 1927.