David Thomas (Q68590)

David Thomas (1866-1940) was born at Llanwnnen, near Lampeter, Cardiganshire, the son of David Thomas, teacher and poet, and grandson of David Thomas of Llandysul, Cardiganshire. He was educated at the Old Grammar School, Lampeter, before re-joining his father as assistant teacher at Llanarth and Cribyn. He then passed a scholarship to enter the South Wales Training College. In 1887, he was appointed assistant master at Pengelli Council School, Wrexham, before becoming headmaster of Borthygest School, Porthmadog. He married Annie Carrington of Coedpoeth, Wrexham, on 29th December 1890. Having obtained his BA (Lond.) externally in 1892, he was appointed assistant inspector of schools under the Board of Education in 1893. During his 33 years as an inspector of schools he was based at Aberystwyth but his work took him to the counties of Merioneth, Montgomery, Carmarthen, Pembroke and Glamorgan. It was only in the ten years preceding his retirement in 1926, that he concentrated on Cardiganshire Schools. During his inspectorate he introduced a scheme to provide elementary schools in Cardiganshire with libraries. Outside his official duties, his most significant achievement was his work recording the oral traditions of Cardiganshire, including counting systems. He examined animal call-words in other languages, presenting in his book, Animal Call-Words: a study of human migration (1939) the thesis that such terms are likely to be the most ancient part of a language, and that their pattern reflects migrations of different tribes. As a result of his botanical and field research in Cardiganshire he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. In 1918 he was awarded the OBE in recognition of his achievements as Honorary Secretary of the Cardiganshire War Savings Committee. He was chairman of the National Library of Wales Building Fund, 1928-1930, and an active participant in numerous committees and societies including the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society (he was Honorary Secretary, 1925-1930, and Chairman, 1933-1940); and the Cardiganshire Food Economy Committee.