Mr D L Llewellyn - photographer and chemist, Goodwick
In the late 1990’s just before the late Mr Haydn John retired from the Myrtle Pharmacy it became known that a substantial number of old glass photographic negatives were in storage at the shop. Most of them being of the size known as half plate.
It was soon apparent that these negatives were the photographic work of Mr D.L.Llewellyn who was the proprietor of the Myrtle Pharmacy between 1903-1930.
The passing years had not been kind to the negatives which had suffered both physical and chemical damage. It was possible however for a print to be made from every plate and as a result a unique insight into life in the Goodwick area at the early part of the twentieth century is now enjoyed on this website. Many images are simply views of the area but others record important events such as the visit of the Mauretania in 1909 and the first recruits going off to WW1 in 1914.
David Lewis Llewellyn to give him his full name, was born in Llanddewi Velfrey in 1867, the son of a farmer. He undertook his training as a pharmacist with Palmer Morgan of Narberth and it may well have been then that he was introduced to photography as some of the poorer quality negatives show scenes from the Clynderwen and Narberth areas.
Before he took over the Pharmacy in Goodwick, D.L.Llewellyn had served with the Army Medical Corps. He joined at Aldershot in December 1899 and by 3rd January 1900, found himself in South Africa serving in the Boer War. It is evident from some of the surviving negatives that his camera accompanied him during his war service. There is an note on his military papers which states that he had enlisted for one year but if the war was still ongoing after 12 months he would be retained until the war ended. If the war however was over in less than 12 months he would be discharged. As it was, he was discharged on 16th August 1901 having served in South Africa from 3rd January 1900 until 5th August 1901.
The original pharmacy was at the bottom of Stop and Call Hill but he later had new premises built on Goodwick Square and this was known as Myrtle Pharmacy.
During his time in Goodwick, he took an active interest in the community and was a member of the Goodwick Urban District Council and was its Chairman in 1928. He was also an active member of Strumble Lodge of Freemasons and was Master of the Lodge at the time of the building of the new Masonic Hall at Windy Hall in 1926. He had married in 1908 and with his wife Claudia, had two sons, Arthur and Oliver.
In 1932, David Llewellyn left Goodwick with his family and settled in London. He became a hospital pharmacist and in 1939 was working at St Mary’s Hospital for the East End. He was there at the outbreak of WW2 when the hospital was evacuated and it instead became a hospital for war casualties, both civilian and military. It is not known whether he was evacuated or whether he stayed on at the hospital but if he did, he would have been lucky to have survived unscathed, as the hospital was the first in London to be bombed in September 1940.
His wife Claudia died in 1952 and he died 10 years later in January 1962 at the grand old age of 95.
D.L.Llewellyn used at least three cameras of varying sizes and amazingly two of his cameras still survive and are now owned by Mr Chris John.
A number of the images taken were printed as postcard views and it is in this form that a number survive. He also printed a number of albums of views which he made available for sale.
With thanks to Mr Chris John and Mrs Janet Bennett-Howell for allowing access to the collections of the late Mr Haydn John and the late Mr David Bennett -Howell
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