Cyril Lakin enjoyed a fascinating career as a public figure. His formative roots lay deep in the town of Barry as it prospered and grew – although his origins were English. Despite coming from a relatively lowly background, as the son of a butcher from Cadoxton who made his mark in local politics, he succeeded in gaining admission to Barry Boys' County School to the University of Oxford in the autumn of 1912. He was appointed to a prestigious position as an editor on Fleet Street after the Great War, became something of an early media personality, and was later elected the Conservative Member of Parliament for his native town.Given his life and rich contribution in several spheres, it is surprising that until now Lakin has been somewhat neglected. Geoff Andrews deserves to be congratulated on piecing together a composite biography from disparate source materials, including archival sources, early scripts prepared for the fledgling BBC, family correspondence, interviews with family members, and the columns of the national press, notably the editorial correspondence of the London-based quality newspapers. There is fascinating material here on pre-war south Wales, racked by strikes and industrial militancy, on the impact of war on Oxford, and on Lakin's decision to enlist, his military career soon to be sadly thwarted by the onset of malaria. New horizons soon beckoned in the form of an appointment with the Sunday Times. His career as a journalist prospered largely as a result of his close links with the Berry brothers. Marriage to an English girl by the name of Vera Savin in 1926 changed Lakin's perspectives markedly, and they had one daughter Bridget who was born in 1927.His journalistic career soon developed apace as the editor of the Daily Telegraph. Lakin was at the centre of public life as the debate raged over appeasement, and he was even able to meet Adolph Hitler. A second career as a broadcaster soon beckoned. And so did a third – as the Conservative MP for his native Barry where, during the course of an exciting by-election, he received strong support from Winston Churchill, the new Prime Minister.We are told that Cyril Lakin, 'as an MP … was engaged, industrious, and prepared to intervene on causes important to him, such as the role of the wartime BBC, the plight of war pensioners and, in particular, the future of school organization in Barry'. Such was his political prestige and local reputation that he was readily adopted to stand again in the General Election which followed the end of hostilities. But a vastly different new world had dawned by 1945, and, like many others, Lakin went down to a defeat – indeed by a decisive margin of more than 6000 votes in an election which saw turnout tripled compared with the earlier by-election. There is especially valuable material here on the fundamental sea-change in Welsh and British political life at this crucial time. Recurring medical problems thereafter allowed him a limited role at the Sunday Times but did permit him to spend more of his time with his family.Lakin's premature death at the age of 54 leads Geoff Andrews to conclude rather sadly that his was 'a life that ended too early and was unfulfilled', and yet to reflect that his was 'a life [that] had been full and rich in variety'. He had certainly made a distinctive contribution in several different spheres of public life. At the core of his success throughout was his relaxed personality and his unfailing bonhomie which allowed him to make genuine friendships in so many walks of life and thus increase his personal contacts and influence. Lakin was at the centre of a vibrant and radical generation of writers, poets and critics, many of whom he recruited as reviewers.This volume, with its full endnote references, bibliography and index and photographs, is a thoroughly researched, well- written and insightful political biography that illuminates Barry life and the politics of Cyril Lakin's time both in Wales and the United Kingdom.
