Bobi Jones, Welsh writer and nationalist – obituary

Bobi Jones, the poet and scholar who has died aged 88, was born into an English-speaking Welsh family, but became one of the most prolific writers in the Welsh language; it is claimed that by the end of his life he spoke English as a foreign language.

Though a republican, a fervent Welsh nationalist and a fierce egalitarian, Jones taught Welsh to Prince Charles when the latter attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, in the summer of 1969, in preparation for his investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle on July 1.

The 1960s had seen a groundswell of Welsh nationalist activity, including a campaign of civil disobedience, in an attempt to secure public status for the Welsh language. Plaid Cymru had gained their first MP when Gwynfor Evans was elected for Carmarthen in 1966.

Though Plaid maintained a diplomatic silence, the investiture became the focus of protests about the legal...