20 Facts About Vernon Watkins

Vernon Phillips Watkins was a Welsh poet and translator.

Vernon Watkins was a close friend of fellow poet Dylan Thomas, who described him as "the most profound and greatly accomplished Welshman writing poems in English".

Vernon Watkins was born in Maesteg in Glamorgan, and brought up mainly in Swansea.

Vernon Watkins's birth coincided with slight earth tremors; another baby born that night was christened John Earthquake Jones.

Vernon Watkins's parents were William Watkins, a manager for Lloyds Bank in Wind Street, Swansea, and Sarah, daughter of James Phillips and Esther Thomas of Sarnau, Meidrim.

Vernon Watkins wrote poetry and read widely from eight or nine years of age and was especially fond of the works of John Keats and Shelley.

Vernon Watkins received his later education at a preparatory school in Sussex, Repton School in Derbyshire, and Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Vernon Watkins read modern languages at Cambridge, but left before completing his degree.

Vernon Watkins met Dylan Thomas, who was to be a close friend, in 1935 when Watkins had returned to a job in a bank in Swansea.

Vernon Watkins was the only person from whom Thomas took advice when writing poetry and he was invariably the first to read his finished work.

Vernon Watkins wrote the obituary for Dylan Thomas and when he died, Philip Larkin wrote his obituary.

Vernon Watkins met Gwen, who came from Harborne, Birmingham, at Bletchley Park, where he worked during the Second World War as a cryptographer, and she, as a member of the WAAF.

Vernon Watkins's ambitions were for his poetry; in critical terms they were not to be fulfilled.

Mr Vernon Watkins is undoubtedly a poet with an uncommon sense of rhythm as well as of imagery.

Vernon Watkins wrote poetry for several hours every night and by way of contrast, Caitlin, Dylan Thomas's wife, could not recall her husband staying in even for one night during their whole married life.

Vernon Watkins was awarded a University of Wales honorary Doctorate of Literature in 1966 after retiring from his job at the bank.

Vernon Watkins was being considered for Poet Laureate at the time of his death.

Vernon Watkins had developed a serious heart condition, which he made light of, insisting on playing his beloved tennis and squash with his usual vigour.

Vernon Watkins died on 8 October 1967, aged 61, playing tennis in Seattle, where he had gone to teach a course on modern poetry at the University of Washington.

Vernon Watkins's body was returned to Britain, and was buried in the Gower, at St Mary's Church, Pennard.