William David Davies

William David Davies, often known as W. D. P. Davies, (18 January 1897 – 7 July 1969) was a Welsh Presbyterian minister and writer on theological topics. After becoming the first Welsh student to obtain a Bachelor of Divinity degree from the University of Oxford, he turned down an offer to become a theology tutor at Oxford, along with a college fellowship, preferring to become a Presbyterian minister. He wrote various theological works and was regarded as an excellent scholar as well as a powerful preacher.

Life Davies was the only son of a Presbyterian minister, Isaac Davies, and his wife. He was born in Glyn Ceiriog, Denbighshire, in north Wales but moved with his parents to Rhyd Ddu in Snowdonia, Bryn-rhos and Bangor, Caernarfonshire. Davies studied at the county school in Caernarfon and at the Friars School, Bangor before winning a scholarship to Jesus College, Oxford. During the First World War, he was a conscientious objector and carried out agricultural work on the Llŷn Peninsula, preaching in Pwllheli during this time. When the war was over, he returned to Oxford, obtaining second class Honour Moderations in Literae Humaniores and a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in theology. After further study, he obtained a Bachelor of Divinity degree, becoming the first Welsh non-conformist to be awarded the degree by the University of Oxford.