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TYLERI TALES: THE REDOUBTABLE DAGGARS: A remarkable tale of an extraordinary Abertillery family

Not long after this site started a few years ago, there was a quiz in which one of the questions was 'Who was George Daggar after which George Daggar Avenue in the town is named'. Sadly, not many of the entries had the correct answer, reflecting perhaps how little we know of the remarkable people from the town who shaped its history and left an indelible mark. This tale was commissioned by Abertillery Online from David Daggar, George's great-nephew, who relates the history not only of the former, well-respected Abertillery MP, but also his siblings, particularly Tom, and his own grandfather David, whose stories also deserve and require repeated telling.

 

A brief history of the Daggars, a remarkable Abertillery family. By David Daggar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emma [d. 18/7/61] and Agnes [d. 14/3/72]

 

Two spinster ladies who lived at 25 Princess Street and kept a shop at the end of that street. The First World War probably finished any chances of marriage for them as it did for many other women at that time. Contemporaries remarked that at in a later age Agnes could well have had a successful political career. In her old age and with failing health she could still conduct very intelligent political arguments and had a detailed knowledge of world affairs. Emma did not enjoy the best of health, although she was a gymnast in her youth. She refused to admit to growing old and according to her sister remained at seventy nine for several years.

 

This caused some embarrassment for the younger Agnes who was rapidly catching her, but could not 'overtake'. There are no photographs of these ladies. In 1971 with rapidly failing health Agnes went to live in Devon with her nephew Arthur. With her death came the end of that generation of the Daggar family.

 

David Daggar [d 3/4/48]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George Daggar JP MP [d. 14/10/50]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were exceptional tributes from all quarters, unprecedented and unequalled since. So why was he so special? He was born at Cwmbran in 1879 to Jesse and Elizabeth and was brought to Abertillery when very young. He attended the British School and then like so many boys in the town went to work in the mines at the age of twelve. He would have been of the generation who only saw daylight in the winter time on Sundays. His first tasks below ground was most likely dragging tubs of coal. The tub was linked to a waist harness by a chain which sorely chaffed the young boys' legs. As he matured he was becoming more and more aware of the injustice of the poverty which surrounded him. One wonders how he fitted in underground. In what leisure time he had he was more interested in reading economics or philosophy than playing sports as did his brothers. But he was certainly not distant. He was "one of the boys" and remained so throughout his life. At sixteen he was a pit boy at the Vivian Colliery and a few years later he became an Arael Griffin miner where he became interested in Trade Union affairs. In 1911 he won a scholarship to the Central Labour College where he studied for three years after which he returned to the Arrael Griffin, although it must be said he had to return to the coal face in the holiday times too. In 1915 he married Rachael [Peggy] Smith a dressmaker and the daughter of a Yorkshire miner. It has been described as a "love match." and "that married life meant everything to them". There is no doubt that her support was an important factor in his achievements. There were no children.

 

In 1921 he was appointed miners' agent for the Western Valleys of Monmouthshire and also in that year he succeeded Edward Gill as an executive member of the South Wales Miners' Federation. During these few years events had moved quickly for George. He had, in fact, entered public life when he was elected to the Abertillery Council in 1919 and first showed that he held strong views and was not afraid to express them. In his second monthly meeting he opposed a motion recording the Council's appreciation of the War-Time Premier Mr. Lloyd George. He thought; "that all the credit of prosecuting the war to a successful issue did not belong to those who had charge of the negotiations after the cessation of hostilities. There should be a recognition of those who had lost their lives. Those who had remained at home and had assisted in maintaining production".

 

At the same meeting he opposed a proposal that the Council should support a project of erecting a Regimental war Memorial at Abergavenny. "All this talk of memorials was misdirected energy. Some men would slave out their lives to erect a memorial but would not move a finger an inch to obtain some form of compensation in the shape of increased pensions and gratuities, with decent homes to live in and a stake in the country for the men who had been told to fight for it" So in his first public speeches George Daggar was expressing his sincere views without concern for others' opinions. The honesty, the integrity and the incorruptibility which became the hallmark of his political career were already showing themselves. During the 1920's he continued with his union work and also with his lecturing. He had been appointed by the Western Valleys Miners' Council to lecture in economics and industrial history. Several of his students won scholarships to Ruskin College, Oxford or to the Central Labour College.

 

In 1929 he was the obvious candidate to succeed George Barker as Member of Parliament for Abertillery  As a Parliamentarian he soon began to create his own individual style. From the back benches he spoke mainly on issues of mining accidents and safety, unemployment, the Means Test and South Wales as a Depressed Area. The economic and social background from which he spoke is well described in The Blaina Riots by Martyn Thomas [Tyleri Tales] George Daggar spoke passionately and from the heart on these matters, of which he had personal experience, but he always backed them by well thought out economics and statistics, of which he was a master. In some ways he did not fit the picture of what some expected from a miner's MP. He was always immaculately dressed and wore colourful bow ties. He has been described as the Commons' Smartest Man, while another writer said he was "one of Wales's most flamboyant politicians, smartly suited and bow tie wearing" He had a charisma which was attractive to the most elevated but he never abandoned his roots.

 

He was always true to his main aim which was to act for the betterment of his community and not to gain personal advancement. He was an excellent constituency MP, much loved and respected. Between 1942 and 1944 he was a member of the administrative committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party. In 1947 he was on the Turner Select Committee investigating mining subsidence. For a time he was chairman of the Welsh Parliamentary Party and in December 1948 he became vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party. And would certainly have become chairman if failing health had not prevented it. High Office can come to a man in many ways - but there is only one way in which a man can become Vice-Chairman of his Party in the House of Commons. He must win the respect of his fellow Members of Parliament. Often he would not toe the Party line when he felt it conflicted with the interests of his community. Even in war time he argued that the war should not be used as an excuse for not helping the needy. He spoke particularly about coal nationalisation and postwar planning. A typical extract is below.

 

“Whatever is done by the Government, whatever planning is done and whatever proposal is submitted for discussion by this House, you cannot efficiently plan the property of other people. You must have control. Those who own property now will agree with that. They cannot plan or control property which does not belong to them. It has always failed to solve the problems to which I referred in the miserable period 1919 - 1939.... I have never claimed to speak on behalf of people other than those I have the honour to represent, and on behalf of thousands of people such as miners who, after being idle for years, secured employment with improved wages in factories and who have now gone back to the mines in order to produce the coal which is necessary for the war effort, I say we desire a new order, a new Britain and a new world. They desire, as I do, a new order free from Nazism, Imperialism, exploitation, want and misery. I want a new order as a monument to the memory of those men and women who have given their lives." On another occasion he wrote: "Our political movement is the only effective opposition to those who want things to remain as they are. We want a change; an opportunity to be happy, to be free; to live; to live better".

 

In 1929 he entered Parliament with a majority of 11,000 and at the last election he fought it was 25,000 and he was Vice-Chairman of his Party. This was the man who as a half educated boy went down the pits at the age of twelve. But his speeches, his economic statistics and his grasp of detail can only be part of his story. There was something else much more difficult to define. We can only get glimpses of it by reading the contemporary accounts from his friends [and opponents too]. One contemporary account below puts a human face on his work : "On Friday evenings it was a common sight to see a queue forming at the bus stop waiting for George to come home for the weekend, to deal with pensions and other problems. His clinic started then, and as he dealt with them one by one they would fall out, while the rest would take turns to get his attention as he walked slowly homewards. He still lived in his small terraced miner's house which was at most 300 yards from the bus stop, and this journey often lasted an hour or so."

 

Ron Robins a former editor of the "South Wales Gazette" wrote; "Men who were proud to appoint him their guide and counsellor gave their lives to wrest coal from Nature's grudging hands. He gave his life to wrest from the grudging hands of Government the recognition of the worth of those who hew and sweat to bring forth light and warmth from darkness and danger. He began by toiling with them and then he earned the privilege of toiling for them. That was the measure of the man; he never forgot that it was his privilege to serve. He never lost sight of the fact that he had been chosen by them to right their wrongs and to urge the justice of their claims............Year after year he was in the forefront of the list of members who never missed a division. Time after time he put the miners' cause before his health." "He was no sycophant pursuing office and aggrandisement. In London, as in Wales he spoke what he knew to be true. Truth is not always as popular as it might be with politicians" " He did not carry on box of tricks to hold an audience of MP's and another box of tricks to charm a score of miners at a lodge meeting. He was neither a political juggler nor a smooth tongued careerist. He was a crusader with a crusader's zeal and sincerity."

 

His friend the Rev. Llewelyn Williams conducted the funeral service and in his address said the only word in the English language to describe George was "integrity".  "When one got close to him it was not only the strength one noticed but also an intrinsic tenderness. He could be as a lion or as gentle as a lamb". Mr. Anthony Greenwood MP speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary Labour Party said

"that he and his colleagues would soon be returning to the House of Commons, which would be bleaker and sadder without George Daggar. He had stood up in the House of Commons against the most powerful men in the country fighting for what he believed in".

The political writer of the time for the South Wales Gazette, Brinley Evans, who wrote under the name "Arael" concluded his lengthy obituary with these words , "I have been told by his intimate friends that during the last few days of his life, when his illness prevented any other means of communication, the Member for Abertillery scribbled notes which he handed to those who were privileged to minister to his needs, and gave instructions that appeals from the aged and the poor which had been sent to him should be acknowledged. Let that last picture of a devoted representative of the people be placed in every home in the Abertillery constituency for remembrance. Let us place our garlands upon it - and standing before it say humbly, and thankfully - Well done, George. Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Perhaps the most compelling tribute came from Bryn Jenkins the acting miners' agent who said;

"George Daggar was one of us. A man of the pits who went to Parliament to speak for us.......... a Member of Parliament who will always be remembered in the pits as a true, and brilliant friend of his fellow workers".

 

In July 1976, George's wife aged ninety one gave his library of over 1,500 books to the South Wales Miners' Library at the University of Swansea where it was to be kept in the "George Daggar Room".

 

George Daggar JP MP was without doubt a remarkable man. His standing in the community was unparalleled, however he had brothers and sisters who were rather overshadowed, and while not reaching his public prominence contributed enormously to the betterment of life in Abertillery in the first half of the twentieth century. Their father was Jesse Daggar.

 

Jesse Daggar [d. 7/6/18] 

 

Jesse was married to Elizabeth [Nee Russell]. The name seems to have changed its spelling from the Dagger to Daggar at this time. Both spellings were used by the next generation. It was a second marriage for both of them, she being a widow and he a widower. They lived at 25 Princess Street, having moved from High Street, and had five children, Emma, Agnes, Thomas, George and David.

 

Jesse came to Abertillery in the eighteen eighties from Somerset via Cwmbran to work in the mines. Politically he was a liberal radical, and had been active in the early trade union movement. He was victimised for his activities, was denied work in some mines and may well have spent some time in prison.

David, although he was almost always referred to as Dai, began his working life in the mines and felt from an early age, along with his brother George, that he was bound to do what he could do better the lot of his community. He was a determined and uncompromising man who did not suffer fools gladly.

 

He, along with his father and brothers, had had long political discussions on socialism, the emerging Labour and Trade Union movements and how to improve life for the people of Abertillery. Whereas George worked to that end via politics, David looked to more practical and immediate ways. He was an important member of the team who founded the local hospital and so it is not difficult to see how he came to the conclusion that a family planning programme would also improve the economic condition of many families. His role in that story is told elsewhere and is not repeated here [See Tyleri Tales - The Marie Stopes Connection] although it must be added that he was deeply disappointed and disillusioned at the failure of the project.

 

At times there were tensions between himself and his brother George, who he felt could have added his undoubted influence more enthusiastically than he did to his cause.

 

He married Ceinwen Morgan (d. 25/11/69) and there was one child from this marriage, Arthur. He was the only Daggar in the next generation and left Wales in the late 1930's to go Birmingham to search for work. He later moved to Devon in 1947.

 

David had a long history of trade union work, and was once a delegate at the Trade Union Congress. He was Chairman of Abertillery and District Hospital in 1926, was elected to the Royal Gwent Hospital Workmen's Fund in 1919, and became its Chairman in 1942.

 

Appointed a Director of The Royal Gwent Hospital in 1921, he became a Vice-Chairman of the Board of Management. In February 1947 the Executive Committee of the Royal Gwent Hospital Workmen's Fund elected him as secretary of the fund in succession to Mr. T A Jones who became Secretary-Superintendent of the Hospital. He and his family had moved to Pontymister in the early 1930s.

 

Just over a year after his appointment to manage the Workman's Fund, at the age of 56, he died from a lung disease, the result of his years as a miner, as did so many.

David with his son Arthur c.1930

Thomas Daggar MC. [d.11/8/68]

Thomas, or Tom as he was universally known, was the most charismatic and extrovert member of the family. He was a keen sportsman and played rugby and cricket for Abertillery at the beginning of the century. He is in the photograph of the 1904 team in the town’s museum.

 

He played against the Australians in 1908 and had a winner's medal when Abertillery were Monmouthshire Champions in 1907-8. Later he was President of the Rugby Football Club, but he was best remembered for his war record.

 

Much of his war service was spent in the trenches at Ypres where he was a tunneller, a role which was one of the most arduous and dangerous in that war which even today surpasses most others in its horrors. He was awarded the Military Cross, which is now in the Regimental Museum at Brecon. He never spoke of the reason for his award saying such things as "Well they had to give it to someone" although it is thought it was given for rescuing injured soldiers behind enemy lines.

 

There was public recognition of this in Abertillery when at a dinner there were many speeches and a presentation of an engraved gold cigarette case. This presentation was reported in the South Wales Gazette (below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the war he returned to Abertillery to join the ranks of the many unemployed ex-soldiers. He quickly became employed by the local labour exchange finding work for his comrades. He claimed he was lucky, and got the job because he was literate, many of the others were not. Later he moved to High Cross near Newport where he worked at the labour exchange until his retirement. He married a widow Laura Patey and there were no children. After the death of his wife he returned to Abertillery to live at the family home in Princess Street with his sister Agnes.

In the afternoon of Wednesday 18th October 1950, the Presbyterian Church, Six Bells, Abertillery was packed with five hundred or more. Many tears were shed and others fought them back as the first lines of the hymn Jerusalem  rose from the congregation. Thousands who had followed the cortege from his long time home - 25 High Street, Six Bells - waited outside, and then followed to the new cemetery at Brynithel. Schools closed early to allow teachers to attend, shops closed, miners changed shifts while others lost shifts (and their pay) in order to pay their last respects. There were hundreds of wreaths. Every organisation and political party in Abertillery was represented. Men ran from the pithead baths in order to line the way. Newspapers praised George Daggar with many column inches and headlines like;

 

"MP's, Clergy, Miners Bid Farewell to a Great Champion" - "A man of the people" - "He was one of us"

"Like the Mountains of Wales He Was Strong" - "The Magnificence of His Character was Equalled by the Magnificence of His Principles"