Walter Conway
Encyclopedia
Walter Conway was the distinguished Secretary of the Tredegar Medical Aid Society
in South Wales
. This society contributed the model which established the British National Health Service
.
Conway was a miner and an enthusiastic member of the Independent Labour Party
. In 1915, the Medical Aid Society which had been formed to develop the older idea of a "Doctor and School Fund" appointed Conway as its secretary. The development of this society's work is attributed to the energy and commitment of Conway who served as its secretary from 1915.
It was Conway who became a mentor and teacher to the teenage Aneurin Bevan
and he assisted Bevan in ridding himself of a disabling stammer. The Medical Society was already employing doctors under its Medical Supertendant, but it went on to open offices and a dentists and a central surgery.
and other friends formed the Query Club, which was a radical debating society. The members of the Club paid a weekly subscription to create a fund for members who were experiencing hardship, an arrangement which was to prefigure the creation of something much greater. Conway was also a prominent trade union leader and occupied important positions in workmen's organisations. Doubtless it was because of his ability that he came to hold at least three prestigious positions in Tredegar
. He was Chairman of both the Board of Guardians of Bedwellty Workhouse and the Assessment Committee of Bedwellty Union. But it was as Secretary of the Tredegar Medical Aid Society that he is most remembered. Conway enabled the Society to provide medical services to twenty thousand local inhabitants. By 1925 They purchased the redundant Palace cinema which they converted into an additional surgery as well as establishing space for their own dental mechanic. These surgeries liaised with the local general hospital
which had existed since 1904.
, who depicted the Society in his novel The Stars Look Down
. Similar societies extisted in the South Wales valleys and in England. But because of the outstanding administrative skills of Conway, the Tredegar Medical Aid Society became a model. It was the model that Aneurin Bevan
used to enable the creation of the National Health Service
while he was Minister of Health in the post-war Labour Government.
when it was established just over a decade after Conway died.
Conway is commemorated by having a street named after him in Tredegar. He died in February 1933 and he never saw himself portrayed as "Owen" in the 1938 film "The Citadel
" based on Cronin's novel
.
Tredegar Medical Aid Society
Tredegar Medical Aid Society was founded in Tredegar in South Wales. In return for a contribution from its members it supplied free health care. This society contributed the model which established the British National Health Service...
in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. This society contributed the model which established the British National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
.
Biography
Walter Conway had a deprived childhood. Upon being orphaned at an early age he was placed in Bedwellty Workhouse, where he lived for 2 or 3 years. As he was to describe himself, he was a 'workhouse boy'. For two reasons his stay in the workhouse was useful. From the Master he learnt the lesson 'to do everything well' and while there he acquired a 'great love for books', which he later described as being his best friends.Conway was a miner and an enthusiastic member of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
. In 1915, the Medical Aid Society which had been formed to develop the older idea of a "Doctor and School Fund" appointed Conway as its secretary. The development of this society's work is attributed to the energy and commitment of Conway who served as its secretary from 1915.
It was Conway who became a mentor and teacher to the teenage Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
and he assisted Bevan in ridding himself of a disabling stammer. The Medical Society was already employing doctors under its Medical Supertendant, but it went on to open offices and a dentists and a central surgery.
Public life
During the winter of 1920-1921, Conway, Aneurin BevanAneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
and other friends formed the Query Club, which was a radical debating society. The members of the Club paid a weekly subscription to create a fund for members who were experiencing hardship, an arrangement which was to prefigure the creation of something much greater. Conway was also a prominent trade union leader and occupied important positions in workmen's organisations. Doubtless it was because of his ability that he came to hold at least three prestigious positions in Tredegar
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
. He was Chairman of both the Board of Guardians of Bedwellty Workhouse and the Assessment Committee of Bedwellty Union. But it was as Secretary of the Tredegar Medical Aid Society that he is most remembered. Conway enabled the Society to provide medical services to twenty thousand local inhabitants. By 1925 They purchased the redundant Palace cinema which they converted into an additional surgery as well as establishing space for their own dental mechanic. These surgeries liaised with the local general hospital
Tredegar General Hospital
Tredegar General Hospital is a community hospital in Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, Wales providing rehabilitation and GP in-patient care with 85 full and part-time staff and 58 beds in two wards. There is a small 24 hour minor casualty unit staffed by nurses. The hospital is operated by the Aneurin...
which had existed since 1904.
Cronin and Bevan
At one stage, Conway's society employed Dr. A.J. CroninA. J. Cronin
Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known works are Hatter's Castle, The Stars Look Down, The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years, all of which were adapted to film. He also created the Dr...
, who depicted the Society in his novel The Stars Look Down
The Stars Look Down
The Stars Look Down is a 1935 novel by A. J. Cronin which chronicles various injustices in an English coal mining community. A film version was produced in 1939, and television adaptations include both Italian and British versions....
. Similar societies extisted in the South Wales valleys and in England. But because of the outstanding administrative skills of Conway, the Tredegar Medical Aid Society became a model. It was the model that Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
used to enable the creation of the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
while he was Minister of Health in the post-war Labour Government.
Legacy
By the time of Conway's death, the Society was supplying the medical needs of 95% of the population. In theory there was a committee of thirty who controlled the society, but it was Conway who ensured that decisions were made and implemented. The society employed five doctors, two dentists with a mechanic each, pharmacy dispensers and assistants and a nurse. Not only did the society see to the medical expenses but it also supplied good wages and conditions for its staff. The doctors were allowed some private work which again was a model followed within the National Health ServiceNational Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
when it was established just over a decade after Conway died.
Conway is commemorated by having a street named after him in Tredegar. He died in February 1933 and he never saw himself portrayed as "Owen" in the 1938 film "The Citadel
The Citadel (film)
The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:...
" based on Cronin's novel
The Citadel (novel)
The Citadel is a novel by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937, which was groundbreaking with its treatment of the contentious theme of medical ethics. It is credited with laying the foundation in Great Britain for the introduction of the NHS a decade later...
.