David Benjamin Rees

Early life and education

Rees was born on 1 August 1937 in Llanddewi Brefi, Ceredigion. He attended the local primary school before proceeding to Tregaron Grammar School. he was involved in supporting affected families as a member of the Aberfan Disaster Committee. He served as chaplain at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital for 18 years. The company publishes works in Welsh and English.

Academic positions

Rees has held lecturing positions with the University of Liverpool Extra Mural Department and the Open University. He served as a board member for the Greenwich School of Theology.

Historical research

Rees completed an MSc thesis on Welsh Nonconformity, published as Chapels in the Valley: A Study in the Sociology of Welsh Nonconformity (1975). His MA thesis from the University of Liverpool examined Dr Owen Thomas, a Liverpool Welsh divine.

From the 1980s, Rees focused on the history of the Liverpool Welsh community, producing multiple volumes on the subject.

Community involvement

Welsh community leadership

Rees has been described as a leader within Liverpool's Welsh community. He established various Welsh cultural organisations in Liverpool, including the Merseyside Chair Eisteddfod and the Council of Welsh Chapels on Merseyside, and founded the local community newspaper Yr Angor/The Anchor, which he edited from 1979.

Selected publications

Rees has authored or edited over 80 books in Welsh and English over six decades. Notable works include:

Mahatma Gandhi: Pensaer yr India (1970) Chapels in the Valley: A Study in the Sociology of Welsh Nonconformity (1975) Pregethwr y Bobl: Bywyd a Gwaith Dr Owen Thomas (1979) The Liverpool Welsh and their Religion (co-authored with R. Merfyn Jones, 1984) The Welsh of Merseyside series (1997–2001) A Life Unlimited: An Autobiography (2018) The Welsh in Liverpool: A Remarkable History (2021) Hanes Tregaron a'r Cyffiniau (2022)

Themes and subjects

Rees has written extensively on Welsh Nonconformity, the Liverpool Welsh community, and biographies of prominent Welsh political figures including Jim Griffiths and Cledwyn Hughes. His theological works include studies of John Calvin and Calvinism.

One of his works on the Liverpool Welsh was longlisted for Wales Book of the Year in 2020.

Personal life

Rees married Meinwen Llewellyn and has two sons, Dafydd and Hefin Ednyfed.