David
Alfred Thomas was born in Ysgyborwen, near Aberdare, on 26th March,
1856. After being educated at Caius College,
Cambridge, he returned to Wales and eventually became the senior partner
in Thomas and Davey, a company based in Cardiff
that owned several collieries in the Rhondda Valley. In 1888 Thomas
was elected MP for Merthyr Tydfil and
held the seat until the 1910 General Election.
On the outbreak of the First World War, Thomas
was sent by David Lloyd George to the United
States to arrange the supply of munitions for the British armed forces.
In May 1915, Thomas and his daughter, Margaret
Haig Thomas, were returning from the United
States on the Lusitania
when it was torpedoed by a German submarine. Although over a thousand
passengers died, they were both fortunate enough to be rescued.
Awarded the title Lord Rhondda, David Alfred Thomas was appointed
Minister of Food in June 1917. He held the post until his death on
3rd July, 1918. His peerage passed, by special remainder, to his daughter,
Viscountess Rhondda.
(1) Margaret
Haig
Thomas,
This Was My World (1933)
I
must have been about eleven or twelve when he first "talked business"
to me: that is, poured out a stream of description of some deal he
was engaged on at the time, without any explanations - he hated explaining
anything; it
bored him. He walked up and down the room as he talked, turning his
coins over in his pocket, and I, seated in the big
armchair, listened palpitating with pride at being treated in so grown-up
a fashion, but terrified of saying the wrong thing, and so showing
that I was only understanding about one quarter of what he was saying,
which I well knew would have instantly stopped the flood. On that
occasion my mother was up in town ill, and there was no one else at
home for him to talk to. He always talked business at home a great
deal; he would retail every evening all that had interested him in
the day's events.
(2) On the outbreak of the
First World War David Alfred Thomas was sent
by the government to the United States. David
Lloyd George explained
in the House of Commons why he had
made this decision.
I
felt, in consequence of the great importance of the American and Caadian
markets and of the innumerable offers which I have received, directly
and indirectly, to provide shell munitions
of war from Canada and the United States of America, it was very desirable
that I should have someone there who, without loss of time, which
must necessarily take place when all your business is transacted by
means of cable, should be able to represent the Munitions Department
in the transaction of business there and find out exactly the position.
I propose to send over, on behalf of the Munitions Department, a gentleman
who was once a member of this House - a very able business man. He
has business relations with America on a very considerable scale,
and I propose to ask Mr. D. A. Thomas to go over to America for the
purpose of assisting us in developing the American market. He will
represent and exercise the functions of the Munitions Department,
both in Canada and in the United States, and he will be given the
fullest authority to discharge the responsible duties with which he
is entrusted. Mr. Thomas will co-operate with the representatives
of the Government, both in Canada and in the United States of America.
While invested with full powers, he will, no doubt, act in consultation
with the authorities at home, except in cases of special urgency.
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