David Watts Morgan

David Watts Morgan, (18 December 1867 – 23 February 1933), who later in life hyphenated his name to Watts-Morgan, Morgan encouraged Rhondda miners to enlist in the army in 1914 following the outbreak of the First World War, and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his efforts. He initially served in the Welsh Regiment, before becoming a lieutenant-colonel in the Labour Corps. Morgan was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for bravery at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, earning him the nickname "Dai Alphabet" in South Wales.

Early life David Watts Morgan was born in Skewen, Wales, in 1867 to Thomas and Margaret Morgan. He was educated at Skewen Elementary School until the age of eleven, when he began work as a pit boy, helping miners with the less strenuous work such as manning ventilation doors. At the age of seventeen he was employed as a coal miner in Ynyshir in the Rhondda. In 1880 Watts Morgan became a checkweighman at the newly opened National Colliery in Wattstown, a responsible position that involved tallying the weight of coal extracted by each miner when it reached the surface. During his time at Wattstown he took evening classes to become a mining engineer. He never practised once qualified, but the knowledge he gained was useful to him in his role as the leader of several mine rescues, and gave him a practical knowledge that informed his later political life. and was promoted to captain on 16 January 1916. Watts Morgan was not initially sent to France, being used instead as a strong voice in the recruitment of men from the Rhondda into the British Army. He also took part in recruitment campaigns in North Wales, where his fluency in the Welsh language was invaluable.

On 15 May 1916 Watts Morgan transferred to a Works Battalion of the King's Liverpool Regiment, and went to serve in France. Watts Morgan was three times Mentioned in Despatches, The citation for this award was published on 5 July 1918 and read:

After the armistice he commanded a demobilisation station; Until early June 1921 he is described in The Times and London Gazette as Major D. Watts Morgan, later in the month this changed to Lieutenant-Colonel Watts Morgan. On 30 March 1920 was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for "services in connection with recruiting in South Wales".

Member of Parliament In February 1918, Watts Morgan was selected as the Labour candidate for the newly formed Rhondda East constituency. As one of the "patriotic" miners' leaders, the Lloyd George coalition did not run a candidate against him, therefore Watts Morgan was elected to the seat unopposed. It was a close result for a Rhondda election; Heale lost by just over 3,000 votes. The 1923 election was a different affair, with Watts Morgan defeating Conservative candidate Alfred John Orchard by nearly 13,000 votes.

Watts Morgan was a socialist and trade unionist, but he was also a strong anti-communist and opposed "the local men of Moscow", trade unionists who had embraced communism and whom he saw as extremists. In the 1929 election his main rival was well-known local Liberal Dr. R. D. Chalke, but the biggest interest came from the first communist challenger in the Rhondda, Arthur Horner. Although Watts Morgan had been unwell for the first few months of the year, he roused himself to attend the Ferndale May Day demonstration. When he discovered he was sharing the platform with Communist Party of Great Britain members, Horner, A. J. Cook and Dai Lloyd Davies, he left the stage and joined the crowd so he could heckle Horner's speech from the floor. Watts Morgan described Horner as "the emissary of the blood-stained Comintern of Russia ... working to break down the democratic Government and Trades Union organization of this country." He had little cause for concern, and was re-elected to Rhondda East by a majority of almost 9,000. A smaller turnout in the 1931 election and the absence of a Liberal candidate may have led to Horner making a considerable advance against Watts Morgan in the number of votes polled, but Watts Morgans' majority remained substantial. Watts Morgan's death in 1933 forced a by-election, which was won by William Mainwaring.

Personal life Watts Morgan was married twice, first to Elizabeth Williams then to Blanche Amy Morgan. Blanche was herself a strong campaigner for miners' rights, and was among a group of agents' wives who promoted the provision of pithead baths, bathing areas for the miners at the surface. She was outspoken in her views, and once supported a political rival of her husband's party, forcing Watts Morgan to make a public apology.

Watts Morgan was a keen sportsman and enjoyed playing golf and bowls. He was a member of several organisations including the Freemasons', Ivorites' and Foresters' friendly societies and was president of the Rhondda and Pontypridd district of the British Legion. A Calvinist Methodist his local place of worship was Bethlehem Church in Porth.

Watts Morgan died at his home in Porth on 23 February 1933 while still in office. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and four daughters. Thousands of people lined the route along which his funeral cortege passed on its way to his burial at Llethr Du cemetery in Trealaw. Local shops and businesses closed as a mark of respect.