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Barry and District News, Thursday August 26th 1965.
The
Life and Work of Mrs Edgar Jones
By the recent passing of Mrs Edgar Jones,
Barry has lost one of its best known and most highly esteemed citizens.
Like her distinguished husband, Mrs Jones
was the embodiment of our conception of a cultured person. Her keen,
intelligent interest and great knowledge of so many branches of learning
singled her out as a lady of outstanding abilities and conversation
with her at all times was a stimulating experience. Her thirst for
knowledge continued till the end and even when bed-ridden and well past
her 90th year she was studying weighty books on archaeology.
Throughout her life Mrs Jones was
essentially a good citizen and played her role of public service in
many worthwhile causes for well over half-a-century. She was for many
years a magistrate for the County of Glamorgan.
In her early years Mrs Jones had been
educated at both Cardiff and Aberystwyth University - Colleges and it
was whilst a student at Aberystwyth that she and Mr Edgar Tones first
met.
THREE YEARS IN
RUSSIA
After leaving college Mrs Jones accepted
an opportunity offered for going to Russia as tutor to the children of a
Welsh family whose grandfather had set up ironworks there and she
remained in Russia for three - and - a - half years after which she
returned home to be married. -
Mr and Mrs Jones came to Barry from
Llandilo in 1899 on the appointment of Mr Jones as headmaster of Barry
County School. He had previously been headmaster of the County School at
Llandilo.
In 1906 Mr and Mrs Jones, who were always
such ardent enthusiasts for Wales and the Welsh language and culture,
started the Barry Branch of the Cymrodorion Society, holding the first
meeting at their home.
When the National Eisteddfod was held at
Barry in 1920 Mrs Jones was appointed chairman of the Reception
Committee and Vice-chairman of the Arts and Crafts Committee.
During both World Wars Mrs Jones actively
participated in Barry’s efforts and particularly in the interests of
the many Belgian refugees who were sent here during the First War and
as Chairman of the Barry Y.M.C.A. canteen during World War II. She was
one of two women members of the South Wales Conscientious Objectors’
Tribunal. She was a Justice of the Peace for the Hundred of Dinas Powis.
FOUNDER-MEMBER OF
20th CENTURY CLUB
A primary interest for most of her life
was the Barry Twentieth Century Club, of which she was one of the
founder - members, a past president and for many years the leader of the
Folklore and Archaeological Circle.
Members of the circle remember with deep
appreciation her unbounded enthusiasm for her subject and the many
excursions of historical interest on which she led them.
In the early 1930’s Mrs Jones organised
and led a party of more than 60 members of the club on a Continental
tour to Geneva and Paris. Highlight of the trip was a reception given
for the party at the headquarters of the League of Nations at Geneva.
She was a member of Bethesda
Congregational Chapel.
Mrs Jones possessed a disposition of charm
and great friendliness and hundreds of past pupils of the County School
scattered now throughout the world — can recall how ably she supported
her husband in everything connected with his post. Former pupils visited
her up to the end.
She is survived by her two daughters -
Miss Gwyneth Vaughan Jones, BA., former head of the Barry Girls’ Grammar
School and Mrs Eirian Lewis of Blackheath, widow of Dr. J. S. Lewis,
Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
It will be recalled that her only son Mr
Gareth Jones, the brilliant and lovable young journalist was murdered by
bandits in China just 30 years ago. The story of his tragic end was
re-told over the radio last week.
E.C.M.
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