Henry Richards

Henry Richards b. 1869 the youngest of thirteen children. The family lived at 8 Blackwells Aberavon and also at 5 Blackwells, where his parents ran a grocery supply business. During 1871 a smallpox pandemic broke out in Aberavon and 2 year old Henry contracted it and although he survived was left totally blind. His parents fearing for his future, especially as he already displayed such intelligence, placed him in the care of Rev. Thomas Richards who ran the Aberavon Academy. This offered private tuition supporting clients revising for business and ministerial examinations. Upon leaving the Academy he then attended Swansea school for the blind, learning a new system for reading called Braille. Henry was an avid braille reader of the classics, loving William Shakespeare, John Milton, William Cowper and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Amazingly Henry could recite the whole of Milton’s Paradise Lost, securing many prizes as a Bard for his recitations at the Eisteddfodau. The family attended and were in leadership at Aberavon Ebenezer Baptist chapel, where from the age of 16 he became a Baptist lay preacher and known throughout South Wales as a fluent public speaker of intellect. There was much excitement in Aberavon when in 1893 he canvassed for votes in the Municipal election, writing a wonderfully honest and articulate letter to the press of South Wales and received such wonderful character references. He had a landslide victory and at 24 yrs of age became the youngest councillor ever appointed onto the Aberavon Municipal council. Henry's passion was to have Aberavon docks firmly established and thriving. Four acts of Parliament were set in place to support this development. The following year as councillor he had to deal with issues of great concern, including a flu epidemic and another Smallpox outbreak. In November 1896 Henry was unanimously elected as the Mayor of Aberavon. This made him the youngest Town Mayor and the first election of a blind municipal chief magistrate. Henry served as Mayor during Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and in June 1897 he was honoured to be introduced to Her Majesty and presented with a medal. Henry continued to serve on the council until on the 29th Dec 1898 he suffered a stroke which left him paralysed. He passed away three days later, Dec 31st 1898 aged just 29 years. There was much shock and grief at his passing as he was much loved and respected. Henry's funeral was a huge public event. At 3pm on Thursday 5th January 1899 a huge procession wended it's way through the streets of the town to St. Mary's church cemetery, marshalled by Police Inspector MacDonald. In procession in front of the coffin was the new Mayor Councillor H. Wood along with the Aldermen and councillors of the borough. Many locals followed where there was much singing of beautiful songs. In the words of the Revd Owen Waldo James, "Henry had triumphed over his severe physical disability of lack of vision and had achieved distinctions that few young men of his age had attained."
 
Courtesy of Ceri Elaine Barnes a 2 x great niece.