Thomas Macdonald was born on 22 November 1900 at
Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn in
Cardiganshire, the son of John Macdonald (1860–1938), a tinker of Irish descent, and his second wife Ada Jones (1878–1946). He spent his early childhood in a small cottage in the village, before moving with his family first to
Pen-y-garn and then going on to live in nearby
Bow Street. According to his father the family name was actually MacDonnell, but had been inadvertently changed to Macdonald by the local registrar of births and deaths. Although his background was Catholic, he was deeply influenced by the Welsh
Calvinistic Methodism of the community in which he lived. Tom Macdonald was initially educated at
Rhydypennau Board School and then at Ardwyn Grammar School in
Aberystwyth, before going on to study at the
University College of Wales,
Aberystwyth., but, before he could graduate, his mentor died. He then embarked on a forty-year career as a newspaper journalist, first at the
Cambrian News, Aberystwyth, then the
Western Mail and the
Daily Express. He later worked in
China and
Australia, before returning to Wales during the Great Depression. In 1939, he and wife, Eileen, travelled to
South Africa where he eventually became chief reporter and news editor at
The Sunday Times in Johannesburg, South Africa because childhood illnesses prevented him from joining up to take part in the
Second World War. Tom Macdonald’s first book was entitled
Henry and Songs of Nature (1920), and was written in memory of his younger brother who died aged seven in 1913. He later went on to publish six novels in English:
Gareth the Ploughman (1939),
The Peak (1941),
Gate of Gold (1946),
The Black Rabbit (1948),
How Soon Hath Time (1950), and
The Song of the Valley (1951) all set in Wales; together with two works dealing with South African current affairs and recent history:
Ouma Smuts: The First Lady of South Africa (1946),
Jan Hofmeyr: Heir to Smuts (1948), and
The Transvaal Story, the last a compilation of articles written about his travels around the province and characters he had met (1961). He also wrote a number of short stories, which were published in several English language magazines, especially in
Argosy. His memoirs, written over a number of years whilst in South Africa, were first published in a Welsh translation with the title
Y Tincer Tlawd (1971), before being finally published in English as
The White Lanes of Summer (1975). He later claimed that this was “nearer to my heart than anything I have written”. He went on to publish two other non-fiction works, one in English:
Where Silver Salmon Leap (1976), and the other translated into Welsh:
Gwanwyn Serch (1982), which contained more memories of his childhood and was a sequel to
Y Tincer Tlawd. A further novel was published in Welsh with the title
Y Nos Na Fu (1974), whilst his first English novel was also translated into Welsh as
Croesi’r Bryniau (1980). In 1962, Tom Macdonald initially retired to the South Coast [Natal, South Africa], but spurred by ill health and
hiraeth (nostalgia - Welsh), finally returned to
Bow Street, Ceredigion in 1965, briefly living at
Plas Cwmcynfelyn before settling at ‘Y Nyth’ in
Capel Bangor. He died at his home on 9 February 1980 aged 79 years. ==References==