Spotlight - "From Private Secretary to Pirouettes" - The story of Jenkin Thomas
Jenkin was born in 1938 in the coal mining village of Cwmgiedd, in the upper Swansea Valley, South Wales (cwm is Welsh for valley).
Although a coal mining village it merged with the country side. All the villages spoke Welsh ofcourse and Welsh and English was taught in their schools.
During the war Jenkin's family accomodated Alan, a boy who was evacuated from Liverpool. Jenkin and Alan swapped languages which must have been
a nightmare for his parents.
Jenkin attend Yorath Chapel a Welsh speaking Calvinist Methodist. He went for morning and evening services, plus Sunday school in the afternoon. His great great grand parents,
great grand parents, grand parents and his mother and father are buried in the Chapel grave yard. Jenkin wishes to be buried there too. The Chapel is still going strong and
recently celebrated its 200th aniversary (it was built in 1806).
Jenkin attended the local schools where he was introduced to English. He studied history in grammar school and achieved A levels in history, French, English and Latin.
From 1956 to 1959 Jenkin studied for his degree at the University College of London. English and European history were covered but he specialised in American history.
After achieving an honours degree with a one year exchange fellowship, Jenkin moved to America to pursue his field of specialisation - closing the frontier in the late 19th century.
So from 1959 to 1960 he studied at the university of Michigan, Ann Arbor and walked away with a masters degree.
Jenkin travelled to the USA in the bowels of the Queen Mary, as did many students. He not only studied but travelled to Washington, down the west coast of America to California and across to the East coast.
When Jenkin arrived back to Liverpool in 1960, penniless, he was met by his parents and cash! They helped him to get to London for a Foreign Office entrance exam. Needless to say Jenkin passed and
was given a salary of £730 a year.
Jenkin was told he was going to Tours in France. He said, "I thought they were sending me off to tour France, oh how wonderful". But sadly no, it was to the middle of France to help him speak a better quality of French.
Jenkin was there for three months living and breathing French. He had a private tutor and was able to absorb the culture.
Back in London Jenkin was allocated to the Arabian dept then later to the American dept.
In 1963 he was posted to South Africa as Third, later Second and Private Secretary to the Ambassador Pretoria, Cape Town, who also was the colonial governor of Basutoland and Swaziland.
At this time there was alot of unrest in South Africa. Mandela was imprisoned and the world woke up to apartheid. The country was forced out of the Commonwealth and the UN declared apartheid to be a danger to world peace in 1961 and a crime against humanity in 1966.
In 1966 Jenkin was posted to Saigon as Second Secretary. As there were no Welsh churches overseas Jenkin attended services at St Christopher's, a member of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore and Malasia.
Jenkin became a church Warden. He met American Aid Workers and is still friends with them today.
Jenkin was then posted to the Centre for Administrative Studies in 1968. The following are postings during the following decades:-
1968 - First Secretary FCO (Defence Policy Dept,)
1973 - First Secretary (Trade Policy) Wahington
1977 - First Secretary EC) (European Integration Department)
1978 - On loan to the Cabinet Office
1980 - Economic Counsellor, Tokyo
1983 - Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Athens
1987 - Head of Claims Dept FCO. Here Jenkin negotiated with the East Germans - property claims from the war.
1990 to 1994 Deputy UK Permanent Representative and Counsellor (Economic and Financial) OECD (Think Tank), Paris
Jenkin ejoyed all his posts overseas.
As you can see from the photo, Jenkin likes to immerse himself in books.
Whilst in Paris Jenkin attended he attended St Paul's near the Arc De Triomphe.
Jenkin finally retired in 1994 and settled in London, moving into his flat after staying with friends for a while. His flat is just around the corner from St Andrew's church.
Jenkin was introduced to one of our ladies, Dorit who then suggested he join the choir.
Dorit is an actress and director. She approached Jenkin with a view to joining the cast of Fiddler on the roof at the Wimbledon Theatre. With some trepidation, he agreed.
Jenkin had a few problems coordinating the foot work and was nervous on the opening night, but the show was a success. He was cast in many other musicals, Bye Bye Birdie, My Fair Lady, Me and My Girl and The Sound of Music to name but a few.
The Butler in Annie was probably one of his more enjyable roles, he was on and off the stage frequently. Jenkin practised his pirouette on a solid surfice, but the stage had a bounce in it. On the Friday night he did the pirouette, bounced up and catapulted stage left!
He hit his nose on a wire and consequently ended up in A&E. It was first suggested that he should have a general anaesthetic and go under the plastic surgeons knife. Jenkin was not happy as he had a matinee the next day. Eventually it was decided that a local anaesthetic and a few stitches would sufice.
After all the show must go on and Jenkin performed in the matinee the next day and completed the run.
Jenkin's last show was Salad Days playing the kill joy, Minister of Pleasure and Pastimes. People said he was type cast.
Jenkin is a member of the Council, Cymmrodorion Society and is friends to several museums in London. He is a member of the Deanery, Diocese Synods in London and is on the PCC St Andrew's, responsible for the rota for readers and intercessors.
If you ask him nicely and if he is standing on a hard surfice, Jenkin may do a pirouette for you.
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