The Rhys Davies Trust, which I have mentioned previously, was set up in 1990. It owes its existence to an extraordinarily generous donation from Lewis Davies, the writer's brother. Lewis, a former librarian and now of advanced years, is a delightful man. In making his gift he sought no celebrity for himself, only that the memory of Rhys should be kept green. Thanks to the work of the trust, that aim is being achieved. At least, anyone with an interest in Welsh literature in English is constantly reminded of Rhys Davies and knows him as a successful novelist and short story writer, particularly of the 1930s and 1940s, who, unusually among our contemporaries, lived by his pen. His publications, listed in John Harris's invaluable Bibliographical Guide to Twenty-Four Modern Anglo-Welsh Writers (UWP, 1994) runs to eight pages. Almost from the outset, and commencing with Rhys Davies himself, the trust has instigated and substantially funded the raising of elegantly lettered slate plaques to commemorate the life and work of a number of writers. John Tripp's plaque is located inside the library at Whitchurch, Cardiff, which he frequented to write and research, but most find a place on the façade of the birthplace (if it still exists) or former home of the writer.

Unveiling the plaque is attended by some modest ceremony. One such occasion took me recently to a street in Blaencwm, at the top of the Rhondda Fawr. Such was the fame of the Rhondda as a ...