Professor D. Ben Rees's Author collection

Jim by D Ben Rees

James Griffiths affectionately known as Jim was born in a small Welsh speaking village called Betws near Ammanford in the west Wales anthracite coalfield. He and three of his brothers became coal miners. His eldest brother, however, was killed at an explosion in the colliery when Jim was eighteen. The youngest of ten children he only had some eight years in a Primary School but he was fortunate in the provision of the Chapel where he was taught in the Band of Hope, Sunday School, the Literary Society where he learnt to speak in public as well in the lodge meetings of the Miners Union. At the age of 18 he established a branch of the Independent Labour Party in Ammanford and gathered together a number of his contemporaries who supported him including his poetic brother David Rees Griffiths known as Amanwy. They rebelled against their parent’s allegiance to the Liberal Party though Jim had tremendous regard all his life for David Lloyd George . However it was Keir Hardie, MP for Merthyr and Aberdare and R.J.Campbell the Congregationalist preacher who converted him to Christian Socialism. He practiced his pacifism in the First World war and won a scholarship to the Central Labour College in London in 1919 where he came to admire a large number of young miners’ like himself, in particular Aneurin Bevan, Ness Edwards and Bryn Roberts. His young bride Winifred came to support him in London. Returning to Ammanford he was soon appointed a miners agent and his involvement with the Miners Union as well as the Labour Party brought him into contact with working class councilors, MP’s and Trade union leaders. Appointed President of the South Wales Miners’ Union, he proved a moderate voice against Communists of the calibre of Idris Cox, Glyn Evans and Arthur Horner. When Dr J.H. Williams Labour MP died in 1936 Jim was selected for the by-election and Stafford Cripps and George Lansbury came to support him in the Llanelli Constituency . Griffiths soon made his mark in Parliament and supported the Beveridge Plan during the Second World War . He was the leader of the Labour opposition against the Coalition Government of Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. When Attlee became Prime Minister in 1945 he gave important posts to Griffiths and Bevan, both of whom were largely responsible for the creation of the Welfare State through the Ministry of National Insurance and Pensions and the Department of Health . In the 1950-1 Government Griffiths made a name for himself as the Secretary for Colonial Affairs enabling the new independent countries to become important members of the Commonwealth. He was highly admired in the continents of Asia and Africa. From 1951 to 1964 he was in the forefront of British politics especially when he defeated Bevan for the post of Deputy Leader to Hugh Gaitskell. Jim became the reconciler in a periods of bitter fraternal conflict between the left and right wingers in the Parliamentary Labour Party. It was he who persuaded Gaitskell and Bevan to support his devolutionary concerns . In 1964 Harold Wilson invited him to be the first Secretary of State for Wales with a seat in the Cabinet and a team of Welsh speaking civil servants to assist him in the Welsh Office. He laid the foundations for the Senedd which came decades later to Cardiff Bay. In his final term in the House of Commons he proved a rebel in the Wilson Government for their support because of Nigeria in the Nigeria-Biafra Civil war. He sided with the people of Biafra and with Fenner Brockway he showed his huge compassion to them as well as a desire to be a ‘man of peace’. Retiring in 1970 he with his wife Winifred enjoyed the visits of his political friends, listening to radio and reading and answering letters of his admirers who had read his autobiography. She also began an autobiographical volume which was published after his death in 1975. Jim Griffiths was laid to rest at the Christian Temple Chapel Cemetery in the heart of Ammanford .

The biographer Professor Dr David Ben Rees has digested the extensive archive which is housed in the National Library of Wales, and also has the advantage of knowing Jim Griffiths personally as well those who worked with him in Wales, his agent Alderman W. Douglas Hughes, the trade unionist Dr Huw T. Edwards as well as those who advised him with regard to devolution for Wales, in particular Right Hon Cledwyn Hughes and Gwilym Prys Davies. Professor Rees is the author of the well received Welsh Language biography of James Griffiths published by the Lolfa Press in 2014 . In 2021 the first English Language biography of Right Hon James Griffiths, CH ( 1890-1975 ) appeared from the Liverpool based publishers, namely Modern Welsh Publications .

Reviews:

A Review of a New Biography by J. Graham Jones

D. Ben Rees, Jim: the Life and Work of James Griffiths: a Hero of the Welsh Nation and Architect of the Welfare State (Modern Welsh Publications), 353 pp, Hard back

This is a seriously heavyweight tome in more ways than one, a study to which all those interested in Welsh political history will give an exceptionally warm welcome.

The Rt Hon Griffiths was one of the most prominent figures in the Labour Party in Wales from the 1930s right through until his death in 1975, and he served as the MP for Llanelli from 1936 until his retirement in 1970. In British politics, too, his contribution was formidable in several roles. Notably as Minister for National Insurance under Attlee, 1950-51, when he was personally responsible for many far reaching legislative enactments, Minister for the Colonies, 1950-51, a post which saw his promotion to the Labour cabinet, and finally as the first Secretary of State for Wales under Harold Wilson, 1964-66. Small wonder that the proud, admiring people of west Wales hailed him early in his career as 'our Jim', one who was sure to go far.

Until recently no one had attempted the sorely overdue task of drafting a full, academic biography of this towering politician. Griffiths himself had produced an interesting, but very guarded and self-effacingly cautious, volume of reminiscences entitled Pages from Memory published by Dent in 1969. Then, in 2014, the present author, who had been studying Griffiths with characteristic dedication particularly from 2009 onwards, published a Welsh language biography Cofiant James Griffiths: Arwr Glew y Werin (Gwasg y Lolfa), a study which made a massive contribution and was well received. Dr Rees is a deeply admiring, but not an idolatrous, biographer who has adopted throughout his task a warts-and-all approach to his subject.

The present offering, an English language adaptation, has very many positive strengths. Striking is the author's personal involvement in Labour politics from his schooldays in the 1940s onwards, a commitment which keenly informs his personal research and writing. Secondly there is his personal, if spasmodic, contact with Jim Griffiths from the general election of 1959, when Griffiths ventured to Cardiganshire to speak on behalf of the then Labour candidate Loti Rees Hughes, onwards.

Thirdly, there is Dr Rees's intimate acquaintance with the substantial James Griffiths Papers, highly revealing on many issues, deposited at the National Library of Wales. The author has also made use of many other archival groups in the custody of the National Library and elsewhere, and has read exceptionally widely on the history of the Labour Party in Wales specifically and Great Britain more generally – for this study and many others too. He was also able to speak with some of Griffiths's closest political allies like the late Gwilym Prys Davies whom both Griffiths and Rees admired with deep conviction.

The result is a balanced, eminently fair and highly readable pioneering biography which is a pleasure to read from cover to cover. Outstandingly impressive is Rees's understanding of the complex local history and family relationships which form the background to Griffiths's early years and upbringing in the Amman valley with its vibrant, pulsating cultural and literary life and vigorous nonconformist activities. And one of his brothers was the well-known Welsh poet Amanwy (David Rees Griffiths) who crops up in this remarkable story from time to time.

In this area, heartland of the anthracite coal industry, Labour politics firmly took root between the wars, and, as is shown here, it was Jim Griffiths who was mainly responsible for the setting up of a branch of the Independent Labour Party at Ammanford. He and his left-wing cronies rejected the deep-rooted Liberalism which had formed the backbone of their parents' political allegiance with their hero-worship and veneration of figures like W. E. Gladstone, T. E. Ellis and, rather later, David Lloyd George. Labour politicians like Griffiths and Nye Bevan liked to claim that, after 1945, they were extending essential tasks for which solid foundations had been laid by Lloyd George before the Great War.

There is throughout this study a finely tuned, impressive balance between the attention given to Jim Griffiths's many political achievements and his personal and family life at Llanelli and at London, and between his contribution at Westminster and his role within his native Wales where he consistently pressed for cautious concessions to the ever growing sense of Welsh nationhood throughout his career.

Today many Welsh devolutionists regard Griffiths as one of the fathers of the movement which led to the setting up of the National Assembly for Wales at Cardiff Bay in 1999. These two impressive biographies will, thanks to Dr Rees, ensure that Griffiths's many achievements will now never be forgotten by a younger generation of readers inevitably much less familiar with the course of events so skilfully outlined by the author.

Not the least of this fine volume's many strengths is an impressive collection of well chosen photographs and illustrations, and the volume, printed by Gwasg Gomer, Llandysul, has been produced to the highest possible standards and is also well indexed. Both Dr Rees and Modern Welsh Publications have done Jim Griffiths proud.

Y Parchedig Arglwydd Leslie Griffiths, Llundain ( cyfieithwyd I’r Gymraeg gan Dr Patricia Williams, Lerpwl):

O’r diwedd. Cofiant llawn o fy arwr gwleidyddol. Mae wedi bod yn yr encilion lawer iawn rhy hir. Mae Ben Rees wedi gwneud cymwynas â ni i gyd drwy adrodd hanes bywyd Jim Griffiths, dyn a oedd yn wylaidd, tosturiol, rhagweledol , teyrngar, dewr a (rhaid dweud) yn wirioneddol dda. Gwyddai’r gwahaniaeth rhwng gwleidydd a gwladweinydd – y naill â’i lygaid ar yr etholiad nesaf, y llall yn ffocysu’n llwyr ar y genhedlaeth nesaf. Nid yw hi’n anodd benderyfnu i ba ddosbarth y perthynai ef iddo; wedi’r cwbl, mae’r holl genedlaethau ers y rhyfel wedi byw gyda ffrwyth ei lafur.

Gan fod y Wladwriaeth Les yn rhan o deitl y llyfr, rwyf am ddechrau gyda hi. Adeiladwyd hi ar syniadau William Beveridge yn yr Adroddiad a ysgrifennodd yn 1942 yn nyddiau mwyaf gofidus yr Ail Ryfel Byd. Pwysleisiodd yr angen am raglen i ddileu’r pum drwg (angen, haint, anwybodaeth, budreddi a diogi) a fyddai’n herio’r gymdeithas Brydeinig ar ddiwedd y rhyfel. Y ddeddf newydd gyntaf i fynd i’r afael â hyn oedd Deddf Addysg 1944, a gysylltir ag enw R. A. Butler. Gweithredwyd y lleill gan lywodraeth Attlee ar ôl y rhyfel. Yr olaf wrth gwrs oedd y Gwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol yn 1948, a dadogir ar Aneurin Bevan.

Ond roedd pedwar mesur cyfreithiol arall a oedd yn cryfhau ac yn diffinio’r Wladwriaeth Les. Pwy all eu henwi? Ni all llawer o’n harweinwyr gwleidyddol presennol wneud hynny – rwyf wedi holi nifer ohonynt. Dyma beth oeddent: Deddf Lwfans Teulu (1945), Deddf Anafiadau yn y Gweithle (1946), Deddf Yswiriant Cenedlaethol (1946), a Deddf Cymorth Cenedlaethol (1948). Felly pwy oedd yn gyfrifol am roi’r mesurau hyn i ni? Neb llai na Jim Griffiths. Ef weithredodd y gyntaf a llywio’r tair arall drwy bob rhan o’r broses seneddol. Mae’n werth cofnodi ei waith yn sicrhau diddymiad y Ddeddf Anghytundebau Masnachol atgas (1927) – deddf a oedd yn cwtogi’r ffordd yr oedd yr Undebau Llafur yn codi’r syniad am hawliau eu haelodau ac yn eu hamddiffyn .

Ganed ef yn 1890 i deulu Cymraeg ei iaith ym mhentref bach Betws yng Nghwm Amman. Gof oedd ei dad ac un o’i frodyr yn fardd uchel ei barch. Dyna beth yw Cymru! Gadawodd yr ysgol yn 13 oed i weithio dan ddaear yn y pwll glo lleol. Roedd yn aelod selog yn y capel, lle y dysgodd gelfyddyd areithio, arddel heddychaeth, deall anghenion y dosbarth gwaith ac anrhydeddu egwyddorion y Bregeth ar y Mynydd. Roedd yn un o aelodau cyntaf y Blaid Lafur Annibynnol, yn edmygydd o Keir Hardy ac yn Undebwr Llafur brwd. Pan oedd yn ei ugeiniau, cafodd ei ddewis ymysg eraill, gan gynnwys Aneurin Bevan, i astudio yng Ngholeg LLafur yn Llundain. Daeth yn arweinydd Ffederasiwn Glowyr De cymru, yr undeb glofaol mwyaf yn ei ddydd. Mae Ben Rees yn rhoi disgrifiad athrylithgar o’r pwerau cymdeithasol, gwleidyddol a chrefyddol oedd yn bodoli yn y cymunedau dosbarth gwaith yn ne Cymru yn ystod blynyddoedd ieuenctid Griffiths. Serch hynny, rhaid i mi ddweud bod y rhannau hyn o’r llyfr yn mynnu’r un lefel o ganolbwyntio ag sydd ei angen i ddarllen nofel Rwseg hir. Bydd y rhestr hir o enwau (cymaint ohonynt yn debyg i’w gilydd), yn dreth ar amynedd darllenydd nad yw’n gyfarwydd â’r materion hyn. Mae’r dasg yn fwy anodd, gan i’r awdur gyfeirio at gymaint ohonynt wrth eu henwau ‘poblogaidd’, boed hwnnw yn enw teuluol, barddol, cymdogol neu ffraeth.

Mae’r awdur yn ein harwain yn ddeheuig drwy deithi comiwnyddiaeth, cenedlaetholdeb, diwygiadau crefyddol, dirwyiad y Blaid Ryddfrydol, heddychaeth a sosialaeth mewn cyfnod cythryblus iawn yng Nghymru.

Yn 1945 cynigiodd Clement Attlee i Jim Griffiths y swydd o fod yn Weinidog y Gymanwlad a synodd pan wrthodwyd hi. ‘Oes yna rywbeth arall y basech chi’n ei hoffi?’ dywedir i Attlee ofyn wrtho. ‘Gweinidog Pensiynau,’ atebodd a chytunodd Attlee yn swta. Teimlai y byddai hynny yn rhoi cyfle iddo wneud rhywbeth dros y rhai y magwyd ef yn eu plith. Ac, yn sicr, fe wnaeth hynny. Ar ôl etholiad 1950, derbyniodd swydd Gweinidog y Gymanwlad ac yn ystod ei bedwar mis ar bymtheg yn y swydd gwnaeth nifer o ymweliadau diddorol iawn â Dwyrain, Gorllewin a De Affrica, India, Malaya ac Israel. Cyfarfu â nifer o ddarpar arweinwyr y gwledydd annibynnol newydd a dod ym gyfeillgar â hwy, dynion fel Kwame Nkrumah a Jomo Kenyatta, er enghraifft. Credai llawer o bobl ei fod yn olynydd naturiol i Ernie Bevin yn y Swyddfa Dramor, pan fu farw hwnnw yn sydyn yn 1951. Unwaith eto, gwrthododd Griffiths y cyfle

Ni ddaeth datganoli i Gymru tan 1999, pan sefydlwyd y Cynulliad Cymreig, ddegawdau ar ôl marwolaeth Jim Griffiths. Dengys Ben Rees mor bleidiol oedd ef, mor bell yn ôl â’r 1930au, i’r broses a fyddai’n arwain yn y pen draw at sefydlu senedd i Gymru. Roedd yn ymgorfforiad o genedlaetholdeb oedd yn cyfuno ei agenda sosialaidd a gobeithion gwladgarol Cymru. Roedd yn gefnogol iawn i’r iaith Gymraeg ac yn ddewis naturiol i gael ei benodi fel Ysgrifennydd Gwladol cyntaf Cymru yn ystod gweinyddiaeth Harold Wison. Nid gor-ddweud yw ei alw’n ‘dad datganoli Cymreig’.

Roedd yn Is-arweinydd y Blaid Lafur o dan Hugh Gaitskell ond cadwodd mewn cysylltiad agos ag Aneurin Bevan hefyd. Roedd yn sosialydd pybyr ond roedd ganddo feddwl uchel o nifer o aelodau Plaid Cymru. Roedd yn gymodwr. Roedd ei ddidwylledd a’i ddiffyg uchelgais yn ei wneud yn gymeradwy i bobl ar bob ochr.

Bid a fo am hynny, roedd yna ddau achlysur, pan safodd Jim Griffiths yn erbyn ei blaid. Yn gyntaf ym Mawrth 1943, pan orfododd y Tŷ Cyffredin i gymryd pleidlais ar Adroddiad Beveridge, a siaradodd yn huawdl o blaid rhoi ei gynghorion mewn grym cyn gynted â bod y rhyfel drosodd. Y drafodaeth hon, yn anad dim, a arweiniodd y Blaid Lafur i greu Llywodraeth Les.

Yr ail achlysur iddo wrthwynebu ei blaid oedd pan leisiodd ochr Biafra yn y rhyfel cartref yn Nigeria yn ystod y 1960au, a hynny yn erbyn ewyllys Harold Wilson a’r Swyddfa Dramor. Yn ei 80fed flwyddyn aeth ar ddwy daith beryglus i Biafra a Nigeria i gynnal trafodaethau pwysig a chefnogodd eu hachos yn y llywodraeth, a hynny yn erbyn ei blaid ei hun. .

Ymddeolodd o’r llywodraeth yn 1970 ar ôl gwasanaethu am 34 o flynyddoedd fel AS i Lanelli. Gwnaeth y Frenhines ef yn Gydymaith Anrhydedd. Ond fe wnaeth osgoi cyhoeddusrwydd. Bu’n byw yn dawel gyda’i wraig Winifred a’u pedwar plentyn. Bu farw, fel y dywedem ni Fethodistiaid, yn 86fed flwyddyn ei fywyd a 68fed flwyddyn o wasanaeth cyhoeddus.

Rydym i gyd mewn dyled i Ben Rees am y llyfr ystyriol hwn, a fydd, gobeithio, yn dadlennu bywyd a gwaith dyn o gefndir gwerinol a gyrchodd y byd politicaidd fel Colossus digyffro a hunanfeddiannol.

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