file P2/10 - Llythyrau Evans (GJ-JH)

George Ewart Evans was born in 1909, in the mining town of Abercynon, South Wales, the son of a grocer, William Evans, and his second wife, Janet. He attended Mountain Ash County School from 1921 to 1927, and University College, Cardiff, between 1927 and 1931, obtaining an honours degree in Classics and a teaching certificate. He was athletic, distinguishing himself on the rugby field, and while he was at university he sprinted professionally to ease the financial situation of his family. Shortly after this time he began to write, winning a prize for his first published work, a translation of Catullus, in the Sunday Referee in 1934. In the same year he obtained a post teaching athletics at Sawston Village College, an experimental school in Cambridgeshire, which combined the traditional syllabus with subjects of a more vocational nature. That was where he met his future wife, Florence Ellen Knappet and they married in 1938. They had four children, Jane, Susan, Mary, and Matthew, who later pursued a distinguished career with the publishing company of Faber and Faber. During the Second World War George Ewart Evans served in the RAF, but he continued to write, mainly poetry and short stories, some of which were republished in the collection entitled Let Dogs Delight (London: Faber and Faber, 1975). At that time he experienced several personal crises, including the death of his father, the loss at sea of his brother, Roy, in 1942, and the discovery that he himself was suffering from increasing deafness. His next work, based on his own childhood in the South Wales valleys, was The Voices of the Children, written in 1943-1944 and published by the Penmark Press in 1947. After the war financial pressures compelled the family to leave Sawston, and Evans took up a teaching post in Edmonton, London. Three years later, in 1948, his wife was appointed village schoolmistress at Blaxhall in Suffolk, a flat arable region which contrasted greatly with the hills and industrial valleys of his native Wales. He found that the people differed in their attitudes too, but through conversing with his neighbours he developed an interest in their dialect and the aspects of rural life which they described. They were almost all agricultural labourers, born before the turn of the century, who had worked on farms prior to the arrival of mechanisation, and who spoke a language rich in words and expressions previously only known to him from reading old English poetry. He began, with the assistance of a tape-recorder, to collect oral evidence of the dialect, rural customs, traditions and folklore, first in Blaxhall, and continuing from his later homes in Needham Market, Helmingham, and Brooke, near Norwich. This work, reinforced by careful research of documentary, historical and literary sources, provided the background for his East Anglian books. The tape recordings also formed the basis of radio scripts for features broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, in association with such producers as David Thomson and Charles Parker. George Ewart Evans was engaged in editing, reviewing and extensive teaching activities in addition to his writing. He was a tutor for the Extra-mural Department of the University of Cambridge and the Workers' Educational Association in East Anglia, and he was much in demand as a lecturer for conferences and educational courses. His contribution to oral history and education was acknowledged by the universities of Essex and Keele, both of which awarded him honorary doctorates in 1982. He died in January 1988.

Roedd Gwynfor Evans yn un o brif wleidyddion Cymru ledled ail hanner yr ugeinfed ganrif, Llywydd Plaid Cymru o 1945 hyd at 1981 a'r cyntaf i gipio sedd yn y Senedd ar ran y Blaid, hynny ym 1966. Mae hefyd yn awdur nifer o gyfrolau hanesyddol pwysig.
Ganed Gwynfor Richard Evans yn Y Barri, Sir Forgannwg, ar 1 Medi 1912, yn fab i Dan Evans a Catherine Mary Richard ei wraig. Addysgwyd ef yn Ysgol Gynradd Gladstone Road, Y Barri, Ysgol Ramadeg y Barri, Coleg y Brifysgol, Aberystwyth a Choleg San Ioan, Rhydychen. Yn wreiddiol hyfforddwyd ef fel cyfreithiwr a daeth yn gyfreithiwr proffesiynol ym 1939, ond yna penderfynodd ennill ei fywoliaeth fel garddwr masnachol a gwnaeth ei gartref yn Llangadog, sir Gaerfyrddin. Ym 1941 ymbriododd â Rhiannon Prys Thomas, un a fu'n gefn cyson iddo drwy gydol ei fywyd cyhoeddus, a bu iddynt bedwar mab a thair merch.
Ym 1939 dewiswyd Gwynfor Evans yn ysgrifennydd mudiad Heddychwyr Cymru, ac ym 1941 etholwyd ef yn is-lywydd Plaid Cymru. Pedair blynedd yn ddiweddarach daeth yn Llywydd y Blaid, swydd y parhaodd ynddi tan 1981. Etholwyd ef yn aelod o Gyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin ym 1949 a pharhaodd fel henadur y Cyngor o 1949 tan 1974. Ym 1954 dewiswyd ef hefyd yn gadeirydd Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymreig. Yng Ngorffennaf 1966 gwnaeth gyfraniad gwir hanesyddol pan gipiodd etholaeth Sir Gaerfyrddin mewn is-etholiad hollbwysig a gynhaliwyd yn dilyn marwolaeth y Fonesig Megan Lloyd George. Collodd y sedd yn etholiad cyffredinol Mehefin 1970, ond cynrychiolodd yr etholaeth unwaith eto yn y Senedd rhwng Hydref 1974 a 1979. Aflwyddiannus bu ei ymgeisyddiaeth yno ym 1979 a 1983.
Chwaraeodd Gwynfor Evans ran ganolog yn natblygiad ei blaid fel grym gwleidyddol, a bu'n hollol allweddol ym mhob menter dros genedlaetholdeb Cymreig o'r Ail Ryfel Byd ymlaen. Hyd ddiwedd y ganrif roedd yn ffigwr dylanwadol ym mywyd cyhoeddus Cymru a pharhaodd yn uchel ei barch hyd yn oed ymhlith aelodau o bleidiau gwleidyddol eraill yng Nghymru a Lloegr. Roedd hefyd yn hynod amlwg yn y frwydr i sicrhau pedwaredd sianel a fyddai darlledu'n bennaf yn yr iaith Gymraeg, ac ym 1980 cyhoeddodd ei barodrwydd i ymprydio hyd angau pe bai angen oni chyflawnai'r Llywodraeth ei hymrwymiad i ddarparu'r fath wasanaeth yn unol ag addewid ei faniffesto etholiadol ym 1979. Gwasanaethodd hefyd fel aelod o fyrdd o bwyllgorau a chyrff cyhoeddus yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys Cyngor a Llys Llywodraethwyr Prifysgol Cymru, Aberystwyth a Chyngor Darlledu Cymru.
Roedd Gwynfor Evans hefyd yn awdur toreithiog. Cyhoeddodd nifer fawr o bamffledi ac erthyglau gwleidyddol eu naws yn y Gymraeg a'r Saesneg sydd yn adlewyrchu ei gred mewn cenedlaetholdeb a heddychiaeth. Ymhlith ei gyfrolau niferus mae Wales Can Win (1973), A National Future for Wales (1975), Diwedd Prydeindod (1981), (cyfrol sydd yn ddadansoddiad llym o 'Brydeinrwydd' y Cymry), Pe Bai Cymru'n Rhydd (1989) a Fighting for Wales (1990). Cyhoeddodd hefyd hanes cynhwysfawr Cymru yn ei gyfrol Aros Mae (1971), astudiaeth a enillodd cryn fri ac a chyfieithwyd i'r Saesneg dan y teitl Land of My Fathers (1974). Fel hanesydd roedd Evans yn olynydd teilwng i awduron fel Theophilus Evans ac Owen M. Edwards. Roeddent oll yn gwneud defnydd o ymchwil ysgolheigion eraill er mwyn ceisio meithrin yn eu cyd-Gymry falchder yng ngogoniant eu hanes a'u llên. Gweithiau eraill o bwys o'i eiddo yw Seiri Cenedl (1986), cyfrol o fywgraffiadau byrion o Gymry blaenllaw drwy'r oesoedd ynghyd â fersiwn Saesneg Welsh Nation Builders (1987).
Dyfarnwyd i Gwynfor Evans radd Ll.D. (Cymru) honoris causa ym 1973 a medal Anrhydeddus Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion ym 1984. Ers blynyddoedd roedd yn byw yn Nhalar Wen, Pencarreg ger Llanybydder, sir Gaerfyrddin, lle bu farw ar 21 Ebrill 2005 yn 92 mlwydd oed.

Gwynfor Evans was one of the most prominent Welsh politicians throughout the second half of the twentieth century, Plaid Cymru President from 1945 until 1981, and the first person to win a parliamentary seat on behalf of Plaid Cymru in July 1966. He is also the author of a number of important historical works.
Gwynfor Richard Evans was born at Barry, Glamorganshire, on 1 September 1912, the son of Dan Evans and Catherine Mary Richard his wife. He was educated at Gladstone Road Elementary School, Barry, Barry County School, the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and St John's College, Oxford. He originally trained to be a solicitor and qualified in 1939. But he then decided to earn his living as a market gardener and settled at Llangadog, Carmarthenshire. In 1941 he married Rhiannon Prys Thomas, a partner who supported him unstintingly in his public work. They had four sons and three daughters.
In 1939 Gwynfor Evans was chosen secretary of the Heddychwyr Cymru (Welsh Pacifist) movement and in 1941 he became the vice-president of Plaid Cymru. Four years later he was elected party president and remained in that position until 1981. He was elected to the Carmarthenshire County Council in 1949 and remained an alderman of the council until his retirement in 1974. In 1954 he was chosen chairman of the Union of Welsh Independents. In July 1966 a truly historic event occurred when Gwynfor Evans captured the Carmarthenshire constituency in a momentous by-election held following the death of Lady Megan Lloyd George. He lost the seat in the June 1970 General Election, but again represented the constituency in parliament from October 1974 until 1979. His candidatures there were unsuccessful in 1979 and 1983.
Gwynfor Evans played a central role in the development of his party as a political force, and he was a key figure in every nationalist campaign ever since the Second World War. Until the very end of the twentieth century he was an influential figure in Welsh public life and he was highly respected even among the members of other political parties in Wales and England. He was also hugely prominent in the campaign to secure a fourth television channel which would broadcast mainly in the Welsh language, and in 1980 he announced his willingness to go on hunger strike until death if necessary unless the government adhered to its pledge to set up such a service in keeping with its election manifesto promise in 1979. He also served as a member of an array of committees and public bodies in Wales, among them the Council and Court of Governors of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and the Welsh Broadcasting Council.
Gwynfor Evans was also a prolific author. He published a large number of political pamphlets and articles in both Welsh and English, writings which reflect his unwavering belief in nationalism and pacifism. Among his many volumes are Wales Can Win (1973), A National Future for Wales (1975), Diwedd Prydeindod (1981) (a volume which comprises a harsh condemnation of the 'British' attitudes of the Welsh people), Pe Bai Cymru'n Rhydd (1989) and Fighting for Wales (1990). He also published a comprehensive history of Wales in his volume Aros Mae (1971), a study which was highly acclaimed and which was translated into English in the volume Land of My Fathers (1974). As a historian Evans was a worthy successor to authors like Theophilus Evans and Owen M. Edwards. Each of these writers made use of the researches of other scholars with the aim of attempting to instil in their fellow Welsh people a pride in the glories of their history and literature. Other important works published by Gwynfor Evans include Seiri Cenedl (1986), a volume of short biographies of prominent Welsh historical figures, together with an English version Welsh Nation Builders (1987).
Gwynfor Evans was awarded the degree of Ll.D. (Wales) honoris causa in 1973 and the medal of the Honorary Society of Cymmrodorion in 1984. For many years he resided at Talar Wen, Pencarreg, near Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire where he died on 21 April 2005 aged 92 years.

Ifor (Ivor) Leslie Evans the son of William John Evans and his wife Mary Elizabeth was born on the 17 January 1897. He studied at Wycliffe College, Stonehouse. In 1914 Ifor set out on a trip to France and Germany, to learn French and German respectively. It was while cycling through Germany that he was detained at the outbreak of World War I. Ifor spent the period 1914-1918 as a prisoner of war. Initially subjected to rough treatment at the hands of the criminal authorities, he spent most of the war interred at a prison camp at Ruhleben. It was at Ruhleben that Ifor met David Evans who taught him the Welsh language, which prompted him to alter his given name Ivor for the Welsh Ifor. Following the war Ifor studied at Cambridge where he obtained a first in both parts of the Tripos in Economics and History. After this he gained experience in University administration through a fellowship and spent much time traveling abroad. He became a lecturer and fellow of St John's College, Oxford having been elected Whewell scholar in international law. He also served on a League of Nations Commission on economic conditions in Austria. Ifor also had some books published; The Agrarian Revolution in Roumania (1924); The British in tropical Africa : an historical outline (1929) and Native policy in Southern Africa : an outline (1934). Ifor L. Evans was appointed Principal of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1934; he was described by the selection committee as having had "an outstanding career of exceptional promise". Interestingly enough Ifor had been considered for the post previously in 1927, but had been dismissed as "not yet ripe". Initial relations between the Principal and the President of the College were very good. Lord Davies was very pleased with the appointment in 1934 and the two were initially in complete agreement with how to move the College forwards. However, this working relationship did not last with a notable dispute in 1936 over the reappointment of the Wilson Chair of Colonial History. The disagreement ultimately resulted in the President's resignation, although he was persuaded to return in an honorary capacity 3 months later. Ifor is generally considered to have been a successful Principal (1934-1952). He significantly reduced the College debt, which had built up significantly due to pressure on the College during the years following the Great War. The man was one of the main driving forces in developing the Penglais site, having been in agreement with the President (Lord Davies) that the best prospects for future expansion lay on the hill. As Principal he was successful in securing a number of significant donors; Sir D. Owen (Liberal M.P. for a number of years) left the College £35,000 in his will; and an appeal to D. Alban Davies (a retired London milk merchant that had promised to aid to the College) in 1946 was instrumental in securing the future of the Penglais site. Ifor Evans also oversaw the reinstatement of the office of the Registrar; J. Morgan Thomas was appointed Registrar in 1936. This action would free the Principal from a great deal of the College's daily administration. Ifor L. Evans Principalship came to an abrupt end with his sudden death on the 31 May 1952.