Wales Farmer 26 COUNTRYSIDE JANUARY 2014


GET SET: Hollywood Star stallion at Cefn Parc Stud with Dillwyn in the 1970s. Above, Dillwyn with Prince Charles at the 2013 Royal Welsh Show.


An extraordinarylife “ By Farmer Reporter


ALEADING South Wales farmer and Royal Welsh stalwart has published his autobiography, AView


From The Main Ring. Dillwyn Thomas,Royal Welsh Agricultural Society assistant honorary director of horses, main ring, displayand commen- taries,has been centrestage dur- ing the 50 years the RoyalWelsh Showhas been at its permanent showground in Builth Wells. This year the Prince of Wales


presented him with aSilver Armada dish to markhis retire- ment and, in 2004, the Queen presented him with the RWAS life vice-presidency. Dillwyn’s life and experience


has spanned the extraordinary changes of the twentieth century, from the days when manual labour and horse powerdrovethe production of food, to today’s computer chips and satellite sys- tems. But it’shis innate understand-


From farm boytoRichard Burton stuntman—wonderful world of Dillwyn Thomas


ing of people and livestock that has underpinned his work with the RoyalWelsh and proved use- ful in conversations with royalty. It wasthe Queen’s first pony


thatsparkedalively conversation between them during her visit to Llanelwedd in 1983. Scrabbling around forsome-


thing to sayand having been told onlytocall her ‘Your Majesty’ at the first greeting and from then on ‘Ma’am’, Dillwyn wasableto introduce the Queen to the granddaughter of the man who had bred her first, beloved, pony. Clearly delighted, she told him


thatshe had been prevented from selling on the ponybut instead had had ‘to give it to my sister’. The much lovedpet, Greylights, had eventuallybeen buried in


Windsor GreatPark. This,and conversations with


the Queen at subsequent shows and with other members of the royalfamily, have honed his quiet dignity and absolute confidence. His life,begun on afarmnear


Port Talbot, has been packed full of adventure, excitement, danger and glamour. Therehas also been the hard


work thatwas so much afeature of farming up until well into the second half of the twentieth cen- tury.


brought life-or-death challenges, serving


the


The Second WorldWar with


British


Resistance ‘bomb and dagger crew’, as well as his important role in the captureofGerman prisoners whohad escaped from


CATTLE DRIVE: Dillwyn driving cattle through Bridgend town centre to the market when it was still in Bridgend.


the Island Farm prisoner of war camp near Bridgend. Routine jobs such as killing a


pig weren’talwaysroutine,and howdoyou tell the difference


between afield wall and agarden wall?


Then therewas Dillwyn’s role


as an extrainafilm, The Man from Morocco, and as astuntman


forRichardBurton. AView From The Main Ring,


written in collaboration with Gaina Morgan, waslaunched at the RoyalWelsh Winter Fair.


Scrabbling around for something to say ... Dillwyn was able to introduce the Queen to the granddaughterof the man who had bred her first, beloved, pony


EASY DOES IT: Dillwyn and Gay Lady in awartime egg and spoon race.


MASTERING HIS CRAFT: Dillwyn, aged 13, on apony he broke in at Eglwys Nunydd. For the latest Wales farming news: walesfarmer.co.uk


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