The London Welshman

Welshmen Known in London.-VIII. Mr. R. O. Davies, J.P. IT is a common opinion that the Welshmen who have pushed their way to the front in various professions and trades in London are from South Wales, and that the pushful young men of North Wales rest satisfied with the somewhat narrower but nearer home oppor- tunities to be found in Liverpool. Undoubtedly there is an element of truth behind that opinion, though if any one made an inquiry he would be surprised to find that the men of Dyfed, Mor- ganwg, and Ceredigion, do not have thewhole field to themselves in London, but that more than v he thought of the Welsh names prominent in "•directories and on advertisement boards are those of men from Gwynedd and Powys. In the homeland, unfortunately, there is at certain times, just a little touch of jealousy between South and North, but here in the metropolis all persons forget everything except that they are Welshmen, and have to keep up the reputation and good name of Yr Hen Wlad." On walking through the streets of London and looking at the gilded names on either side, one is sometimes led to believe that there are certain Trades almost the Monopoly of Welshmen. The names of Davies, Evans, Jones, Roberts, and Williams, &c., are on each hand every- where. This is true of the drapery trade in particular. Whether the Celtic talent and temperament be specially qualified to deal in articles requisite for personal adornment is more than we can say. That the Celt delights in beautiful things is a well-known fact. Every Celt is a poet by nature, and there is in clothes a great deal of poetry, as well as philosophy, or wool, or feathers. Bayswater, perhaps, after Oxford Street, has as many large business establishments as any part of London. Any one peregrinating the district west of Paddington, cannot help observ- ing that large drapery Establishment in Porchester Road. Which bears the name of R. O. Davies, com- manding the prospect from several thorough- fares. Little over thirty years ago that name stood over the door of one small shop in the same street, to-day it stands over twelve shops, large and commodious. In 1870 the proprie- tor had only one assistant to look after, but this year he has to superintend and direct as many as 224 assistants. This success has been the result of tact, perseverance, and hard work. Like so many others of his Welsh brother- papers, Mr. R. O. Davies is the son of a farmer, the late William Davies, of Gaerddu- bach, and afterwards of Bettws-bach, in Eifionydd, Carnarvonshire. He was born on August 10, 1846. If not a bard himself, he L' can boast of bardic family connections, for that renowned bard Dewi W) ii o Eifion was a near relative. He received his education at the Llanystumdwy National School, the institution which, by the way, a generation after, gave his start in life to another son of Eifionydd, who has just become a Cabinet Minister-Mr. Lloyd George. But Welsh parents, from forty to fifty yea s ago, would not dream of keeping their children in school long after they had entered their teens, and at the age of MR. R. O. DAVIES, J.P. fourteen R. O. Davies was apprenticed with an uncle of his at Tremadoc, at that time a much more important business centre than it is to- day. After three years at Tremadoc he went to Liverpool, but did not remain there very long, for he found his way to London when only nineteen. In another four years, being still n under twenty-four, he started on his own account in one of the shops he still occupies, as already stated. In 1876 he married a Welsh lady, a sister of the late Mr. Thomas Owen, M.P. And he never forgets to say, when any reference is made in his hearing to his success in life, that he is indebted for it, chiefly to his wife. For the last twenty-one years, Mr. and Mrs. Davies have lived at Crasgarth, Acton, cheered by the love of several children, and honoured by a large circle of friends. Though Mr. R. O. Davies' name does not perhaps figure so prominently in the records of the public life of London as the names of some of his compatriots, it would be a great mistake to think that he takes no interest in matters outside his own business. Since 1894 he has .been a Justice of the Peace for Middlesex, and is one of the most active magistrates in his district. In politics he has always been a decided Liberal, holding many offices in the organisations of the party, such as President of the Acton Liberal Club, President of the Acton Liberal Association, Vice-President of the Ealing Liberal Council, and also of the Paddington Liberal Councii. His shrewdness has proved of great service to his own party, and his firmness has won for him the respect of those who hold different political views. Being brought up in a Nonconformist home, he has clung steadfastly to the traditions of his fathers, and is a Pillar of the Nonconformist Faith. When only twelve years of age he joined the Baptise Church at Capel y Beirdd, a small place of worship near where he was brought up. Capel y Beirdd—the Chapel of the Bards—is so called because two of the foremost bards of Wales in their time, Dewi Wyn and Robert ap Gwilym Ddu, were members there together. On settling in London he joined the Baptist Church in Castle Street, and soon became one of its most active members. He served there as Sunday School Secretary, Church Secretary and Deacon, and is still one of the Chapel Trustees. But as his business grew, and the number of the young people in his establish- ment increased, he came to feel that he ought to find a religious home somewhere nearer Porchester Road, so as not to lose sight of them altogether on Sundays. For that reason he severed his connection with Castle Street in 1876, and joined the Church of the Rev. Dr. Clifford. That was the year in which Westbourne Park Chapel was built. For seventeen years he served in that church as deacon. At present he is a member and deacon of the Baptist Church at Ealing, of which his fellow-countryman, the Rev. Evan Thomas, is minister. The social side of religious work has in Mr. Davies a warm sup- porter. He is Vice-President of the Acton P.S.A. Though he is outside the Welsh Churches in London, he does not forget their claims upon him, but is always willing and ready to assist them in their work. His heart is as Welsh now as when he played as a boy on the banks of the Dwyfach, and he is never happier than when chatting with a congenial friend about his native land and its affairs.