ADVENTUROUS WELSHMAN WHO MADE AN IMPACT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Levi David JONES was born in Eglwys Fair, Carmarthenshire, Wales, on December 16, 1884. His birth was registered in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, in the second quarter of 1886, according to civil registry volume 11a, page 555. He lived in Trecynon until his late teens. Levi’s miner father died when he was nine years old.

He was one of the first pupils at Aberdare County School when it first opened in 1896. At the age of 14, after three years at the County School, he became a “pupil teacher” in Robertstown. For four years he did the work of a qualified assistant. He had classes every night Monday to Friday, including eight hours on Saturdays. He earned elementary, advanced and honours certificates from the science and art department in South Kensington, London. In 1902 he passed the King’s scholarship examination in the first division and was admitted to the day training department of the University College of South Wales in September 1903. Here he followed a science course and eventually gained a first class honours degree in chemistry from the University of Wales. At university he enjoyed rugby and music. During his holidays he taught at local primary schools to help pay for his studies. During his honours year he was a chemistry demonstrator in the University of Wales, and later became a science master at Mountain Ash County School.

In the 1911 Wales census, Levi was living at Brynelwyn, Broniesty Terrace, in Aberdare, and was a science teacher. He lived with his sisters: Mary JONES (25 years old, elementary school teacher) and Catherine (23 years old). They were all single.

One day, Levi collapsed, and doctors gave him a short life span. A doctor advised him to move to South Africa, where the climate would help him recover. He left Wales at the outbreak of World War I for the Transvaal, where he spent time recovering. When his health had greatly improved, he started teaching again. He taught at Dale College, in Mafeking, in Rhodesia, at Commercial High, at Germiston High, and at Forest High School. In 1921 he organised a teachers’ strike in South Africa, the first one in the country.

In 1911, Levi met Andrew Frederick Weatherby BEAUCHAMP-PROCTOR, who later became South Africa’s leading ace of World War I. Andrew’s father was a schoolteacher and later headmaster of the Public School in Mafeking. Andrew went to his father’s school, first at George and then at Mafeking, until 1911, when he became a boarder at SACS in Cape Town. His mother, Frances Wynne WEATHERBY, was from a Welsh family of Abergavenny. Levi taught at the Public School in Mafeking before he left for Northern Rhodesia and then the Transvaal.

Levi’s first marriage was to Louie Raymond HEAD on 18 March 1920 in the Johannesburg magistrate’s court. She was previously married to Albert Edmund WALTON; they divorced in 1920. At the time of their marriage, Levi was living at 132 President Street in Johannesburg, and Louie lived on Commissioner Street in Boksburg. Levi and Louie divorced in 1929.

Levi played an active part in introducing school rugby in the Transvaal. He was secretary of the Transvaal Schools Rugby Union in 1927.

In 1927 after 12 years as a teacher in South Africa, he took long leave of nearly a year and decided to make his way back to Wales on foot, by car and boat, through Africa. As a boy he aspired to be an explorer, like his hero the Welsh explorer John ROWLANDS (aka Henry Morton STANLEY). His journey started in Central Africa, and through the Sudan, Egypt, Palestine, and Athens. An experimental airmail service was starting between Kisumu and Khartoum. Levi was to be their first paying passenger, but a week before he left Johannesburg, the sea plane crashed into Lake Victoria. Levi decided to carry on with his plans. He packed lightly as he had to carry everything.

During his long leave he was to investigate the possibility of a rugby tour to Kenya by a combined South African universities team. He was to also investigate the possibility of a South African high schools rugby tour to Britain, as well as to investigate general science classes in British schools. Levi also enrolled to take a psychology course at Cambridge during this long leave.

He made his way along the coast up to Lourenço Marques and Mombasa. From Mombasa to Nairobi, the train stopped at Tsavo, where the railway construction was initially delayed by the man-eating lions of Tsavo. From Nairobi he went to Kisumu, passing through the Great Rift Valley along the way. From Kisumu he took a small steamer across Lake Victoria to Uganda. He went to the Ripon Falls, where he got stranded at night and was rescued by a man from Cardiff and taken to Kampala. From Kampala he travelled across Uganda and Bunyoro until he saw Lake Albert. At the Anglo-American Mission headquarters, on the border of the Congo and Sudan, Levi had a meal of blackberries, raspberries and different vegetables, a break from the mostly tinned food he ate on this trip. Next he spent two weeks on a small paddle boat navigating the Sudd and eventually reached Khartoum. He travelled down the Nile by boat and then by train to Luxor and Karnak. Levi saw the tombs of the pharaohs before going to Cairo.

His next stop was Palestine, where he climbed the Mount of Olives, Mount Carmel and the Mount of Precipitation. He visited Jericho, swam in the River Jordan, floated on the Dead Sea, saw Bethlehem and Nazareth, sailed the Sea of Galilee, and visited synagogues and churches. From Palestine he returned to Alexandria and crossed the Mediterranean to Athens, where he climbed to the top of the Acropolis. He then went through the Dardanelles to the Sea of Marmara and Constantinople. Levi was detained in Turkey for a few days on suspicion of being a spy. His khaki shirt, sun helmet and camera made him look like a British officer or spy to the Turkish authorities. He was eventually let go with a caution and quickly made a booking on the Orient Express, which took him through Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Italy, Switzerland and France. From Paris he flew to London and then Wales. On his arrival in Wales, he was met by reporters who wanted to know his stories.

In 1937, Levi flew from Durban to England with Imperial Airways’ flying boat, the Corsair. He left Durban at 11:00 on Sunday, July 4th, and arrived in Southampton at 16:15 on Saturday, July 10th. Flying was only in daylight hours, with stops at night for rest and replenishments. During the day, there were two or three stops for tea and lunch. The first night was spent in Beira, followed by overnight stops in Dar-es-Salaam, Mombasa, Kisumu, Khartoum, Alexandria, and Rome. A flight of 8,000 miles over 7 days. The flying boats were spacious and comfortable. Excellent meals were sometimes served in the air, with hot meals out of large Thermos flasks (no cooking on board).

In late 1938 he took the return flight to South Africa on an Imperial Airways flying boat. He left Southampton at 08:30 on Saturday, October 2nd and arrived in Durban at 14:00 on Friday, October 8th. The first night, the passengers slept in Rome, then flew across Italy and the Apennines to Brindisi on the Adriatic. From there they flew across the Adriatic, over the mainland of Greece to Athens, where they saw the wreck of the Courtier and were greeted by the survivors. After a short stay, they flew over the Greek isles, over Crete and the Mediterranean, landing in Alexandria. The next morning they flew over the Nile River, reaching Cairo an hour later. After a short stop, it was on to Luxor and Karnak. After a short stay, they flew over the Aswan Dam, crossed the Nubian Desert and on to Khartoum. They spent the night on the banks of the palm-fringed Nile. The next day they reached the grasslands of the Sudan. They stopped at Malakal for refreshments, before flying over the marshes of the Sudd. After a long flight they reached Uganda, where they saw herds of elephants as they flew low. They flew over Lake Victoria before landing at Port Bell. As at every Imperial Airways stop, cars met the passengers and took them to their hotel in Kampala.

The next day, the fifth day of the flight, they took off early. The rapid and frequent changes of altitude wore the passengers out. An hour later they landed on the Kavirondo Gulf and drove to Kisumu for breakfast. Next they landed on Lake Naivasha. Flying over Kenya, the Kilimanjaro peak was covered in cloud. They flew over Nairobi and saw herds of animals on the Athi Plains. Their next stop was at Mombasa. The flight then took them down the east coast of Africa. They saw Zanzibar island before landing at Dar-es-Salaam for the night. At this stage, there were three passengers – a German war ace and consul in Lourenço Marques, a gold miner from Johannesburg, and Levi. The next two days, the sixth and seventh day, they flew down the coast and spent the night in Beira. The last day’s flight took them to Lourenço Marques and finally Durban. The next day, Levi took a 2-hour flight on South African Airways to Johannesburg.

By 1938 he had formed the South African Schools Rugby Union. Later in 1938 it was announced that Levi would be headmaster of Forest High School in Johannesburg, a position he held from 1939 to June 1944, when he retired. As headmaster at Forest High, he succeeded two other Welshmen. He was not only the headmaster; he also helped with sport coaching, did some teaching and helped with the gardens. His contribution was seen in the sports teams and the school library. The school orchestra was often heard on SABC radio. During World War II, Levi organised the Welsh Blitzed Areas Fund in South Africa, which raised £2,200 for the bombed areas of Cardiff and Swansea.

At his farewell assembly in Forest High School on 13 December 1944, he was presented with a cheque from the staff and pupils. He handed the cheque over to the school to be used for the building of a new clubhouse and swimming pool, which he asked that it be named Gwalia. He was remembered for his sense of humour, cheerfulness and enthusiasm. In early 1947 he returned to Wales where he spent the next 18 months, settling in Morriston, Swansea. He took part in BBC programmes and was involved with the eisteddfod in Wales. He was a member of the Ebenezer Congregational Chapel in Trecynon.

Levi’s second marriage was to Bessie MORT on 04 November 1947 at Walter Road Congregational Church in Swansea. Bessie was the daughter of Mr and Mrs David MORT of Morriston. She was the assistant headmistress at Pentrepoeth Girls’ School. The bride was given away by her brother, Albert V. MORT, plant manager at the Mond Nickel Works. A reception was held at the Osborne Hotel in Langland. Levi had known Bessie for 10 years. She had visited her brother in South Africa, where he was a manager at a gold mine.

In 1948, Levi donated the Bardic Crown (a wreath of laurel leaves) to the National Eisteddfod of Wales. His health again deteriorated in Wales, and Levi and Bessie left Cardiff on 11 November 1948 for Johannesburg.

Levi was involved with and well-connected to the Welsh communities in South Africa. He used to do radio talks in South Africa, in Welsh, that were broadcast in Wales. In October 1953 he addressed the Aberdare Welsh Society. A newspaper report in the Merthyr Express of 31 October referred to him as a well-known radio broadcaster in Johannesburg.

In January 1955, Levi realised a long-held ambition – he welcomed the South African High Schoolboys Rugby touring team to Cardiff. The team, known as the Blesboks, toured Wales for three weeks, thanks to Levi’s support. Robert LOMBARD (lock), Coenie SCHABART, Ben FOURIE, Peter LUUS, Karl DE JAGER and Alan SHOR were part of the team.

In April 1956, Levi’s sister Mary was living at Frondeg, 77 Heath Park Avenue, Cardiff, Wales. She was the widow of THOMAS. She had two sons: James David THOMAS of 5 Deacon’s Close, Elstree, Hertfordshire, England, and Dr Alun Phillip THOMAS of 6 Hydro Avenue, West Kirby, near Liverpool, England. His sister, Catherine (married RICHARDS) of Wernville, Cemetery Road in Trecynon, mailed the Aberdare Leader newspaper to Levi in South Africa every week, which kept him informed of happenings in his beloved Wales.

Levi arrived in Southampton on 04 May 1956 from Durban on board the Pretoria Castle. At the 1956 National Eisteddfod of Wales, held in Aberdare in August 1956, there was a poetry prize of one silver crown, which was collected from the Welsh people in South Africa by Levi. Nobody won the poetry prize that year. The crown was donated to the Aberdare Public Library. In December 1956, Levi contributed 100 guineas for the Welsh Secondary Schools Rugby tour to South Africa, which was his idea back in 1927.

On 28 November 1957, he left his home in Morriston and sailed from Southampton to South Africa with his wife, on board the Pretoria Castle. By then, he was a well-travelled man and had seen more rugby touring teams than any other Welshman.

Levi died on 15 July 1961, aged 75 years, at Norman Nursing Home in Johannesburg of pancreatic cancer, with bronchopneumonia as a contributing cause. He was cremated at Braamfontein Crematorium. He had no children. His last residential address was Flat 106 Palmer Place, Parklane, Johannesburg. Levi had property at Zebedelia Citrus Estates and owned shares in various South African mining companies. In Wales he owned 44-45 High Street, Gorseinon, Swansea, and Voelallt, 105 Vicarage Road, Morriston, Swansea.

He was an educationist, poet, and rugby enthusiast. He had been president of the Transvaal High School Teachers Association. He was a life member of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science; the founder, past president and life member of the Transvaal High School Rugby Union, and a vice-president of the Transvaal Rugby Football Union.

He was acquainted with Deneys REITZ and knew his wife, Leila Agnes Buissinne WRIGHT, from their teaching days at the same school. She was an outspoken advocate of women’s rights and suffrage for women and the first woman member of the Assembly (representative for Parktown in Johannesburg 1933-1944).

FOREST HIGH SCHOOL – The school opened as the Technical High School in 1919 in a wood and iron building at the Union Grounds. It was the only school of its kind for boys in South Africa, and offered a specialised matriculation course with a bias towards applied science. The first headmaster was John James Beaumont REES (1919-1923). Towards the end of 1919 the school moved out to Forest Hill where the buildings were incomplete and the grounds were rough veld. The pupils dug out the grass, removed the worst of the bumps and played cricket and soccer on a slope. In 1926 the staff included Mr L.D. JONES who became the headmaster in 1939. He had to overcome the difficulties created by war conditions – shortage of staff, an increase in the number of pupils, many of whom lacked parental control with their fathers on active service. There was a lack of adequate accommodation and an increase in extra-mural activities. The grounds were improved. A major task in those years was the raising of money for war and charitable funds.