David Brynmor Anthony, also known as D. Brynmor Anthony, (1886–1966) of

Kidwelly Kidwelly () is a town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

, was a teacher and academic administrator. He received military awards from the Italians, French and British for his service during World War I.

Early life and education

Anthony was born at Kidwelly on 28 October 1886. His parents were Mary (née Harris) and John Gwendraeth Anthony, who was a merchant. In 1908, Anthony received his degree in French and Romance Philology from

University College Wales, Aberystwyth Aberystwyth University () is a public research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 students studying across three academic facul ...

and in 1910, he wrote a dissertation on French Parnassian poets entitled ''The metrik of the Parnassians'' towards his M.A. degree at the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

. He studied in France at the

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a p ...

and the Sorbonne.

Career and military service

While a postgraduate student, Anthony taught in France and then moved to London, where he taught French at Holloway County High School before and briefly after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During the war, he served with the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

in Belgium, France, and Italy. He received the

Croce di Guerra The War Cross for Military Valor () is an Italian order for military valor. Established in 1922, the cross may be awarded only in time of war. Appearance The medal is a Greek cross made of copper. Inscribed on the horizontal arms is ''Al Val ...

, Italian

Silver Medal of Military Valor The Silver Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal. These were intended for j ...

, and two

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

es and bar for his service. The second Military Cross was awarded " r conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in directing and leading a raid. When seen by the enemy he at once gave word to charge, and led the way over the wire himself, killing two of the enemy. He did three daylight patrols, in two of which he fought and beat off ten or fifteen of the enemy, and gained the necessary information. He has shown the greatest courage and skill." He stayed in northern Italy for a period after the war to develop educational programs for Italian soldiers. The

University of Florence The University of Florence ( Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Firenze'') (in acronym UNIFI) is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled. History The f ...

issued a diploma after he became proficient in the Italian language. He became the Registrar of the University of Wales in 1921, where he remained until 1945. However, during the war, he served the Friends of Free France in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

as chairman, for which he received the Médaille de Vermeil de la Reconnaissance Française in 1947 by the government of France. In 1946, he accepted an appointment at the Central Welsh Board as Chief Inspector, where he worked until his retirement. He died on 24 January 1966.

Membership and academic awards

He became president of the South Wales branch of the Modern Language Association. Due to his interest in art, he was secretary and chairman of the Contemporary Art Society for Wales and at the University of Wales, he served on the art committee. He served the

Welsh National School of Medicine The Cardiff University School of Medicine () is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, it is the oldest of the three med ...

as acting secretary in 1931. The French government nominated him Officier d'Académie in 1936 and he was promoted to Officier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 1964.

Personal life

Anthony married Doris Musson at the Christ Church Sefton Park in Liverpool on 24 April 1918. Their children were Lois Mary and David Alan Anthony. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church.

References

External links