The London Welshman

Welshmen Known in London.—I. Mr. T. H. W. Idris, L.C.C. ALL London is familiar with the name of '• Idris and Co. the famous mineral waters manufacturers of Camden Town, whose advertisements are before the eye every- where, and whose smart carts, drawn by the neatest of horses, dash continually along the streets of the metropolis. But Idris is more than a "trade name,"—it is the name of the founder and chief of the firm, a man whose life story is almost a romance, and who fills a large place in the public life of our city. Thomas Howell Williams, to give him his baptismal name, is the son of a small farmer in Pembrokeshire. He was born at Vallen, a remote parish in that county, in the year 1842. The Williamses were thoroughly Welsh, had lived in Pembrokeshire for many generations, and had always been famous, but were never, as far as can be ascertained, very prosperous. In young Williams' earliest days his father's life was a continuous struggle to keep the wolf from the door. Those struggles made a deep impression on the boy's mind. I really think the spectacle of my father's continual struggles," he said, never able to make both ends meet, although \he was always hard at work, and in spite of having the benefit of more than one small legacy, as better situated relatives died, filled me with a determination from my earliest years never to be in debt. The recol- lection of those early days at home clung to me like a rightmare, and had more influence on me than almost anything else I have experienced." When eight years of age he was sent to a National School at a little village called Tafarn- spete, in Carmarthenshire, just over the borders. It was here that he had his first lessons in the English language. The master was an English- man from Surrey, and after the fashion of the masters in the National Schools in Wales at that period, considered it a sacred duty to thrash the Welsh children into speaking English. Young Williams had his share of the thrashing, but not for long. He soon proved himself to be a sharp and bright pupil, and became a prime favourite with his teacher. His early education, however, terminated when He was Twelve Years of Age. His father, who was a sturdy Nonconformist, discovered that his son had been told to commit the Church Catechism to memory, and withdrew him from the school at once. Soon after he was apprenticed to his uncle, who was a draper in Monmouth. But he only stayed there a few months. The business was distasteful to him. He left suddenly, and put himself under the care of a cousin of his who was a chemist at Ebbw Vale. At sixteen he entered the service of another cousin--who also was a chemist-at Crickhowell, and with him he remained until he was twenty-one. He devoted himself enthusias- tically to the interest of the business, and it was during those years that he laid the foundation of the practical knowledge of chemistry which proved so valuable to him in after life. From Crickhowell he Came to London, where he served as an assistant for seven, years, attending classes regularly at the City College of Chemistry, with th, result that he not only qualified but became also an expert analyst. Mr. T. H. W. IDRIS, J.P., F.C.S., L.C.C. In the year 1871, when 29 years of age, the young chemist decided to start In Business for Himself. He had saved about ^200. With £ 150 of this sum he purchased the stock and goodwill of a concern inSeven Sisters Road. It was not by any means a flourishing concern when he took it up, but the enterprising Welshman soon hit upon a device which was the means of winning him the smile of fortune. He circu- larised all the medical men in the locality, offering to analyse all kinds of foods and drugs. One of the principal doctors in the district, who had to give evidence on a case of alleged attempt at committing suicide by taking poison, brought him some small packets of powder to analyse. This he did after closing time, in the presence of three doctors, and the impression he made upon them was so favourable that one of the three sent him all his dispensing to do, and the other two sent him all the custom they could. A Trip to Paris and the Result. Mr. Williams' close application to business told upon his health before very long, and in less than four years after he had started in Seven Sisters Road he was threatened with a breakdown. His doctor ordered him to the Continent for a change. Whilst in Paris he saw a new mineral water syphon, which was a great improvement on anything ever seen in England at that time, and it struck him that a business was to be made by utilising those syphons in London. After returning home he at once proceeded to put the idea into practical shape. This was in 1875. He started a soda-water factory on a small scale in Seven Sisters Road, and christened the product of it, The Idris Table Waters." The name was short, distinctive, and attractive; it was decidedly Welsh; and in a very short time it captivated London. Mr. Williams gave up the chemist's business, and large premises were taken in Agincourt Road, Hampstead. His father and mother were very proud of their son's success as a chemist, but when he decided on making such a radical change they came to the conclusion that ruin was impending. What's this I hear about your son, Mrs. Williams," said a neighbour one day. I'm ashamed to tell ye, Mrs. replied the puzzled mother "why, he's given up his chemists' shops and gone in for making ginger pop But the new venture succeeded beyond all expectation. The con- cern was moved from Hampstead to Ascham Street, Kentish Town, and here, in 1893, it was turned into a (private) limited liability company with a capital of ^"160,000. Before long after the present extensive works, occupying three acres of ground in Pratt Street, Camden Town, were erected. The present share capital amounts to nearly a quarter of a million. In Public Life. In 1893 the founder of this most successful business decided to assume the name of Idris as his own surname. This he did by deed-poll. Previous to that time, however, he had been returned to the London County Council, when it was first established, and has been a member of it ever since, with the exception of a short period when he declined to stand for re-election. He has been chairman of both the Main Drainage and the Water Committees. He is also a Justice of the Peace for London, and also for Merionethshire, where he has bought