There has been a great deal of sadness at Monkton Swifts, and amongst the footballing fraternity of Pembrokeshire, with the news that Les Thomas, the stalwart former player and long-serving administrator at Monkton Lane had passed away.
 

Les was equally well-known as an excellent grower of flowers and vegetables which had seen him win so many top prizes at the Pembroke County Show and other local shows over the past 60 years - and even this year, at 82 years old, had proved to the best tomato grower and put in 14 entries and came away with 13 rosettes, six of them first prizes!

He was also a useful cricketer with Pembroke and generally loved sport, especially with regard to the odd bet on the horses – but it was football for which he was best known around the county.

Les was a more than useful footballer in his younger days, starting out as a founder member of the old Pembroke Town team which started out at the Pembroke Dog Track and then played in a field at the bottom of Well Hill. He once scored 17 goals for them in a ten-match spell and when the club folded he had a short stint at Pembroke Borough before joining Monkton Swifts.

He played for Pembrokeshire against the Combined Services before finally playing his last match at 42 - but by then he was already serving the Swifts so well off the pitch as he joined Les Cole, Hughie Hill and Kay Dylewittz in the setting up of the club tote, which raised immense funds for the Swifts to buy their current pitch and then build their excellent clubhouse and changing rooms on site. He continued fund-raising throughout his life and was even a guarantor at a time when there weren’t people with the necessary cash at hand.

They were made trustees of the club and Les served as Hon Treasurer for some years and was Hon Secretary for even longer. Just before he was taken ill he was still collecting for the tote, which has raised in excess of £150,000 for Monkton Swifts since Les and Co started off. Small wonder then that Les was rewarded with life membership of Monkton Swifts, something he was always rightly proud of.

He also joined old pals Charlie Blunsden, Russell Martin and Colwyn Evans in doing any other jobs needed at Monkton Lane.

He leaves behind his loving children Helen, Janet, Shirley and Phillip, plus respective husbands, wife or partner in Tony Hedley, Peter James, Paul Chapman and Terina Thomas, alongside grandchildren: Katy & Sean Headley; Niall  O'Connor and Kelly Davies; Sarah Deller, Jamie Chapman and Harry (who sadly passed away in July); Geraint, Bethan and Dewi Thomas, as well as great-grandson Thomas Davies.

To all of them our thoughts go out at this very sad time and many older footballers around the county will have fond memories of Les Thomas, who will indeed be a huge pair of football boots to fill at Monkton Lane.