Dylan's early years

The early years of Dylan's life - follow the links in the text to find out more about the characters in Dylan's life

1913 December 8:  Caitlin Macnamara  born in Hammersmith, London

1914 October 27: Dylan Marlais Thomas born at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Uplands, Swansea. His father, David John (D.J.) Thomas was Senior English Master at Swansea Grammar School. The families of both D.J. and his wife Florence came from Carmarthenshire, and they were fluent Welsh speakers. However, D.J. and Florrie followed the convention of the time and did not bring up Dylan and his older sister Nancy Marles Thomas to speak Welsh.

"I was born in a large Welsh industrial town at the beginning of the Great War: an ugly, lovely town (or so it was, and is, to me)" ('Return Journey')

1925 September: Dylan leaves Mrs Hole's 'Dame School' in Mirador Crescent, just round the corner from Cwmdonkin Drive, and enters Swansea Grammar School. 

" 'I see that Mr Thomas ... has been straining his eyesight. But it isn't over his homework, is it, gentlemen?' " ('The Fight')