Evan William Monger Hubert PHILLIPS (1884-1948)

Evan William Monger Hubert Phillips (1884-1948), known as Hubert, was a friend of Arthur Sladden, whom he had met when they were both students in Oxford.  Hubert was also the husband of Margaret Irene Williams, who was the elder sister of Arthur’s wife, Mary Christabel.

Hubert Phillips was born on 25th November 1884 at Swansea, Glamorganshire, the eldest of four children of David Griffith Phillips, a church minister, and his wife, Annie Evelyn (née Monger).  He was baptised on 28th January 1885 at the church of St John the Baptist, Hafod, Swansea.

Hubert spent his early childhood at Briar Cottage, St Dogmaels.  In 1897 the family moved to Cilrheydn, Carmarthenshire, when his father became Rector of Cilrheydn, and then to Newport in 1904.

Hubert was educated at Llandovery College and at Jesus College, Oxford, graduating with BA 1st class Honours in Natural Sciences in 1907 and gaining his Bachelor of Medicine in 1909.  He received a scholarship in Anatomy and Physiology in 1907, the Webb Prize in Bacteriology in 1908, Brackenbury prizes in Medicine and Surgery and William Brown Exhibition in 1909, St George’s Hospital.  In 1909 he was Assistant House Surgeon and Assistant House Physician at St George’s Hospital.

By the time of the 1911 census, Hubert was back in Wales, living at Tir Caradoc, Port Talbot, as partner in a medical practice with John Davies.  Later that year he married Margaret Irene Williams, known as Irene or Rene.

By 1914, the medical practice of Davies & Phillips was based at Park Close, Theodore Road, Port Talbot, and Hubert and Rene lived at The Park House, Port Talbot, where he was to remain for the rest of his life.

They had one son, Geoffrey Hubert Nigel, born in 1913.  During the Second World War, Hubert was also working as a surgeon at a base hospital.

Hubert died on 14th December 1948, aged 64, at Port Talbot and was buried at Margam Abbey.