David John Evans known as Dai Felinwen was born at Fron Un farm, Abergwili in 1892. The farm was near the family pub, The Whitemill Inn. The Pub has been in the family for generations (certainly since 1861).

Dai Felinwen’s parents were Henry and Lucy Evans.(nee Davies, then Lewis). Henry was a farmer, gamekeeper and licensee. Henry and Lucy married in Abergwili on July 12th 1888. Lucy had previously been married and was a widow. At the time Henry’s father was the licensee of The WhiteMill Inn.

Dai Felinwen had an older sister Maggie b 1890 in Abergwili. Their mother Lucy died aged 25yrs when he was just 2 years old. (1869-1894).

When he was 5 yrs old his father then a widower, remarried, marrying a widow namely Lydia Jones of the Black horse Inn, 25 Water street, Carmarthen. She previously held the license with her late husband Thomas Jones b1858 and already had three children, now step siblings to Dai Felinwen.

Dai’s grandfather, John is recorded as the licensee of the Whitemill Inn with Jane Evans (nee Samuel) in 1861. They were still the licensees at the time of their son, Henry’s marriage to Lydia Jones.

David John Evans (Dai Felinwen) married Mary Jane Thomas (b15/7/1894) on 18th March 1914. Together they had 7 children: Gwladys b1921(died from TB aged 19yrs 1940), Thomas b1921(died at birth), Margaret, Kenneth, Maxwell, Delme and Roy.

At the start of the Great War, Dai Felinwen enlisted in the Army, returning home to his family in 1919.

On leaving the army it is believed his Aunty Mariah was running the Whitemill Inn, so It is thought that was when David became a Miner. He lived in Gorslas and worked underground. He worked at Emlyn Colliery Penygroes in 1939 and moved to Crosshands Colliery. He was a charge hand of 6 men cutting coal.

There are stories that he was heavily involved with the trade union and strikes of 1926.

He would return home from the colliery to Bryn Myrddin, Gorslas the family home where he would go straight to the garden to look after his fox terriers which he bred. He knew everything there was to know about fox terriers and is believed to have been a judge at Crufts although no record has been found to verify this.

In 1953 he took over as licensee of The Whitemill Inn following the death of his Aunt. The pub had guest rooms for fishermen and David continued keeping pets including, ferrets, a fox, a badger and Billy the monkey which he purchased on a rugby trip from Harrods London where his son Max worked.

The Whitemill Inn was a gathering place for many locals and the hunt also met there.

David John Evans initially enlisted as a Rifleman in the 11th Kings Royal Rifles on 7th Sept 1914, right at the forefront of volunteering. Unfortunately, at the time, there was a high bar for recruits, so he was discharged medically unfit a month later 7th October 1914 on the grounds of Rheumation. His service record for this period has survived and can be found on-line.

He was not deterred and chose to enlist again as a Gunner again in the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery on 8th July 1915. In a surviving photograph of David with his wife (see his image library - link above), he is proudly wearing his Royal Field Artillery uniform. Based on the details within the photograph, this was most likely taken in either 1915 or 1916.

Gnr Evans would have undertaken his initial training at the Brigade Depot (3rd Line) in Swansea and was later posted to an active unit. Unfortunately, few records have survived relating to his second period of service, although his family have confirmed that he served in the Egyptian Campaign that fought through the Sinai Desert, Gaza and Jerusalem in 1917 and onto Jordan in 1918 where they finished the war.

Gnr David John Evans was finally discharged on 17 March 1919. For his service in the Great War, he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory which his family still treasure as well his original Certificate of Disembodiment from the Army.